RON Asheton, the pioneering guitarist with Iggy Pop's band The Stooges, has been found dead at his US home. He was 60.

The musician was found at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, when his personal assistant called police after not having heard from him for several days.

The official cause of death has not been announced, but initial indications suggest Asheton - a founding member of the band whose sound influenced the first generation of punk musicians - had a heart attack. There were no signs of crime and it was believed he died several days ago, possibly before the new year.

Stooges lead singer Iggy Pop called Asheton "my best friend" and the band expressed shock at his death.

Asheton was an original member of The Stooges, the influential band founded in Ann Arbor in 1967 which shot Iggy Pop to fame. Asheton's brother, Scott, was the band's drummer.

Asheton's distorted guitar was a hallmark of the group's late-Sixties and early-Seventies hits including I Wanna Be Your Dog and No Fun. He was named the 29th greatest guitarist of all time in 2003 by Rolling Stone.

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