[1] Born to a Jewish family in Queens, New York City, he was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and schizophrenia at age 18.

Hyman was a fan of the Beatles,[8] the Who, David Bowie, and the Stooges among other bands, particularly oldies and the Phil Spector-produced girl groups.

Sniper played at the Mercer Arts Center, Max's Kansas City and the Coventry, alongside New York Dolls, Suicide, and Queen Elizabeth III.

In 1974, Jeffrey Hyman co-founded the punk rock band the Ramones with friends John Cummings and Douglas Colvin.

[10] After a series of unsuccessful auditions in search of a new drummer, Erdelyi took over on drums, assuming the name Tommy Ramone.

[1] The Ramones were a major influence on the punk rock movement in the United States, though they achieved only minor commercial success.

Ramone sang vocals alongside his brother Leigh on a cover of the song "Nothing Can Change the Shape of Things to Come" from the album Isolation For Creation.

[12] In 1985, Ramone joined Steven Van Zandt's music industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid, which campaigned against the Sun City resort in South Africa.

Ramone and 49 other recording artists – including Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, Lou Reed and Run DMC — collaborated on the song "Sun City", in which they pledged they would never perform at the resort.

[14] His last recording as a vocalist was backup vocals on the CD One Nation Under by the Dine Navajo rock group Blackfire.

[20][21] Joey's funeral was attended by former bandmates Tommy, Richie and C. J. Ramone, along with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein of Blondie, and Joan Jett.

[25][26] His solo album Don't Worry About Me was released posthumously in 2002, and features the single "What a Wonderful World", a cover of the Louis Armstrong standard.

MTV News said: "With his trademark rose-colored shades, black leather jacket, shoulder-length hair, ripped jeans and alternately snarling and crooning vocals, Joey was the iconic godfather of punk.

"[27] On November 30, 2003, a block of East 2nd Street in New York City was officially renamed Joey Ramone Place.

Titled ...Ya Know?, it was preceded on Record Store Day by a 7" single re-release of "Blitzkrieg Bop"/"Havana Affair".

The film is being made with the full cooperation and support of Ramone's estate, with a treatment written by Davidson and director Jason Orley.