John Byrne of Count Five, R.I.P.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_11256644

Back in the '60s, five scruffy San Jose high school students came together to rock out in a garage tucked away on Revere Avenue. One of the kids, John "Sean" Byrne, had recently emigrated from Ireland, and his bandmates thought the accent made him sound cool. Little did they know that 40 years later they'd be credited with creating a punk-psychedelic-garage classic, "Psychotic Reaction." It was named one of the 500 most influential songs in the history of rock, a song that lives on today on YouTube.

That Irish kid went on to become a punk-rock pioneer as the lead singer of the '60s San Jose garage band known as the Count Five. Byrne died Monday in a San Jose hospital after a long battle with cirrhosis, his family confirmed Wednesday. He was 61.

aww, RIP.