Larry Tamblyn, the legendary musician and co-founder of The Standells, has passed away at 82. His nephew, Dennis Tamblyn, confirmed the sad news in a heartfelt Facebook post on March 21.
“My uncle Larry Tamblyn passed away today,” Dennis wrote, reminiscing about their time together. “He lived an incredible life. His band’s hit song ‘Dirty Water’ is still played at Red Sox and Bruins games.” He also recalled The Standells’ iconic TV appearance on The Munsters and how Larry continued making music into his later years.
While no cause of death has been shared, fans are mourning the loss of the rock pioneer.
Born in Los Angeles, Larry came from Hollywood royalty as the brother of West Side Story star Russ Tamblyn and uncle to actress Amber Tamblyn. His music career took off in the late 1950s before he formed The Standells in 1962 with Tony Valentino, Jody Rich, and Benny King. The band saw lineup changes before hitting it big with their 1966 anthem Dirty Water, which climbed to No. 11 on the Billboard charts.
Despite the group’s early success, The Standells disbanded before Larry revived the band in 2009. They even embarked on a national tour in 2014—nearly five decades after their original heyday. Their final album, Bump, dropped in 2013.
Just months before his passing, Larry was inducted into the California Music Hall of Fame in December 2023, an honor presented by his brother Russ. A video from the ceremony showed Larry rocking the stage one last time.
Following his death, a neighbor took to X to share a surreal coincidence: “My friend and neighbor, Larry Tamblyn, passed away this morning… I was in an 80s garage band that used to cover The Standells, and he ended up living just around the corner from me in rural Georgia.”
Larry Tamblyn’s legacy as a garage rock icon will live on through his music.
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