The bassist for the band Blondie has died.

Fred Smith was 77 years old.

Another band he played with, Television, announced his death on Instagram.

The New York Times said he died on Feb. 5 in a hospital in New York from cancer.

Smith played with Angel and the Snake, the band that would eventually become Blondie. But he left the iconic new wave, disco and punk band to replace Richard Hell in Television, Variety reported.

The Times said of Smith’s split with Blondie, “During a break in the middle of a shambolic 1975 Blondie show at CBGB, Mr. Smith gave his notice.”

When Television broke up in 1978, he played with bandmates Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd for their solo albums. He also performed with The Roches, Willie Nile, Peregrins and The Revelons.

He returned to the band Television when they reunited in 1992 and went on tour with them several times, Variety reported.

Music wasn’t his only foray. He and his wife, Paula Cereghino, started an artisanal winery, Cereghino Smith, based in Bloomington, New York. It was a business they started in their home that then expanded into a full winery. They kept the winemaking business until last year, according to the Times.

Smith was born Fredrick Edward Lefkowitz in 1948 in Queens. His father was a trumpet player, his mother worked in sales at Macy’s, the Times reported.

He taught himself guitar and bass and was playing with members of the Ramones before graduating high school in 1966.

Smith leaves behind his wife and his brother, People magazine reported.

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