Scott “Top Ten” Kempner, co-founding guitarist of the Dictators and the Del-Lords, is dead at 69. The musician passed away from complications of early onset dementia at a nursing home in Connecticut.

In 1972, Kempner formed the Dictators with Andy Shernoff and Ross “The Boss” Friedman in New York. The influential proto-punk band released its crashing debut, The Dictators Go Girl Crazy, in 1975. Their following album, Manifest Destiny, made its way onto the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. They split in 1979, causing the formation of Del-Lords in 1982, consisting of Kempner, bassist Manny Caiati and guitarist Eric Ambel. Their last album was 2013’s Elvis Club.

Other groups Kempner was in include the Brandos, the Helen Wheels Band, Little Kings, and the Paradise Brothers. He also released three solo albums: Tenement Angels, Saving Grace, and Live From Blueberry Hill.