Sandy West, Original Member Of The Runaways, Dead At 47

Drummer and vocalist Sandy West died today of lung cancer.



Their biggest hit was "Cherry Bomb."



I knew these girls just before they recorded their first album, when they hung out at the teenage club in the Valley called ... gosh, for the life of me, I cannot recall the damn name of the club. I'll update it when my brain fart is over. Once, after hours, my boyfriend and I picked up Lita Ford and Sandy West, who were hitchhiking at the onramp of the Ventura Freeway, and drove them somewhere (can't possibly recall where we let them off). Just a bit of trivia I remember from my Valley Girl days.

Anyway, my cousins, whom everyone thought were twins, rivalled the Currie sisters in the vocal department, but were unequaled on the dance floor! Although I was a few years older than the crowd (yeah, I could at least drink booze), we hung there because it was an "in spot," Kim Fowley and his flunkies could be found there, and hey, the dancing was what it was all about.

Cherie's twin sister, Marie, eventually married Steve Lukather (fabulous guitar player, and a member of the band Toto).

RIP, Sandy.