death_date death_place years_active birth_place module name background birth_date signature image article_title birth_name occupation death_cause
6 april 1998 storrs , connecticut , united states 1978 -- 1990 webster , new york , united states yes = associated_acts = plasmatics background = solo_singer genre = instrument = label wendy o. williams solo_singer 28 may 1949 wendy o. williams signature.png wendy o williams.jpg wendy o. williams
 wendy orlean williams singer songwriter actress suicide by self-inflicted gunshot
wendy o. williams

wendy orlean williams -lrb- may 28 , 1949 -- april 6 , 1998 -rrb- , better known as wendy o. williams , was an american singer , songwriter and actress .
born in webster , new york , she first came to prominence as the lead singer of the punk rock band plasmatics .
her infamous stage theatrics included blowing up equipment , near nudity and chain-sawing guitars .
after she left home at the age of 16 , williams hitchhiked her way to colorado , earning money by crocheting string bikinis .
she later traveled to florida and europe landing various jobs such as lifeguard , stripper and server at dunkin' donuts .
when she returned to california in 1978 , she began performing in live sex shows and later appeared in the adult film , `` candy goes to hollywood '' -lrb- 1979 -rrb- .
that same year , she was approached by the manager rod swenson , who recruited her to join his newly formed punk rock band , plasmatics .
the band shortly became known on the new york city underground scene , performing at clubs such as cbgb .
after releasing three album with plasmatics , williams embarked on a solo career and in 1984 released her debut album , `` wow '' .
she followed with the albums `` kommander of kaos '' -lrb- 1986 -rrb- and `` deffest !
and baddest ! ''
-lrb- 1988 -rrb- , before she retired from the music industry .
williams made her screen debut in tom desimone 's film `` reform school girls '' -lrb- 1986 -rrb- , for which she recorded the title song .
she also appeared in the 1989 comedy `` pucker up and bark like a dog '' , and television series `` the new adventures of beans baxter '' and `` macgyver '' .
on april 6 , 1998 , williams committed suicide near her home in storrs , connecticut .
dubbed `` the queen of shock rock , '' williams was widely considered the most controversial and radical female singer of her day .
she often sported a mohawk haircut .
in 1985 , she was nominated for a grammy in the best female rock vocal performance category during the height of her popularity as a solo artist .
