Arturo Vega, the artist responsible for designing the Ramones' instantly recognizable logo and the band's artistic director for 22 years, died Saturday. An announcement was made by Punk magazine co-founder and Please Kill Me author Legs McNeil on Facebook:

One of the best friends anyone could ever hope for. I knew and hung out with Arturo since 1976- 37 fucking years, if my math is correct- and if it weren't for Arturo- Joey and I would've starved to death in those early years. Artie was so fucking fun- he made every thing into an adventure. The world just became a much colder and lonelier place- as if it wasn't getting that way already. Fuck, I miss him so much already.

Vega was born in Chihuahua, Mexico and lived in a Bowery loft near CBGB prior to the Ramones' emergence. He was closely involved with the group throughout their career and in recent years emerged as one of the preeminent Ramones archivists.