Former Iggy Pop And The Nymphs Drummer Alex Kirst Killed In Hit And Run

Former Iggy Pop And The Nymphs Drummer Alex Kirst Killed In Hit And Run

January 18, 2011

Kate McGinty of Mydesert.com reports: The former drummer for The Nymphs and Iggy Pop was killed late Thursday by a hit-and-run driver in Cathedral City.

Someone spotted Alex Kirst, 47, about 11:45 p.m. lying along the side of Date Palm Drive just north of the entrance to Date Palm Country Club.

The unidentified witness called police, thinking the man was intoxicated. Cathedral City police said he had actually been hit by a car in the northbound lanes.

“We have no evidence of any braking,” Sgt. Paul Herrera said. “(The driver) made no attempt to stop and fled the scene.”

Kirst launched his career as a professional drummer in the late 1980s and into the early ’90s with alternative rock band The Nymphs, known for its wild shows.

He later toured the world as a composer and drummer for rock singer Iggy Pop, who is often dubbed the godfather of punk rock.

“I’m devastated. Just devastated. He was my big brother,” his brother, Whitey Kirst, 43, a guitarist for Iggy Pop, said Friday while watching YouTube videos of their performances.

“From what I understand, he just went to the store to get a pack of cigarettes.”

Police issued a plea for the public’s help Friday in identifying the driver or the vehicle that hit Kirst. The vehicle would have front-end damage and missing headlights.

Investigators hope other drivers spotted the car near Date Palm and Gerald Ford drives or that residents have seen unusual activity in their neighborhoods.

Kirst was the sixth pedestrian killed along valley roadways in seven weeks. None were in crosswalks. One bicyclist, who was in a bike lane, was also hit and killed.

Kirst — a Canadian native with dual citizenship — moved to California as a teenager. As his music career slowed, he most recently lived in Cathedral City near a friend.

“He’s dynamite. He’s great. I loved playing with my brother, and since I was a kid, I always wanted to do that and I got to do that,” Whitey Kirst told The Desert Sun via phone Friday from his home in Canada.

Courtesy of www.sleazeroxx.com and www.mydesert.com