Teenage Head guitarist Gord Lewis found dead in Hamilton

Hamiltonian charged in death of father, founding guitarist of Teenage Head

Gord Lewis, founding guitarist of the iconic 1980s punk rock band Teenage Head, is believed to be Hamilton’s latest homicide victim, allegedly killed by his own son inside his downtown apartment sometime last week.

Hamilton police responded to the musician’s apartment about noon Sunday. Inside the unit, they found the body of a man in his 60s with “injuries consistent with foul play,” Det. Sgt. Sara Beck of the homicide unit said at a news conference on Monday.

Lewis’s 41-year-old son, Jonathan Lewis, was arrested shortly after police arrived at the apartment building. He is charged with second-degree murder.

Police say they believe they know the identity of the murder victim and the Lewis family has been informed. However, due to the state of decomposition of his body, further testing is needed for official identification. That’s expected to happen following the autopsy.

One of Lewis’s brothers, Brian Lewis, told the Spectator that the family has no comment at this time.

“We ask that you respect our privacy at this time,” he said.

Lewis formed Teenage Head while attending Westdale Secondary School along with the late Frank Kerr (known best by stage name Frankie Venom), Steve Mahon and Nick Stipanitz.

The band became a sensation, building a large following with their electrifying live shows and such songs as “Can’t Stop Shakin’,” “Teenage Beer Drinkin’ Party,” “Let’s Go to Hawaii,” “Some Kinda Fun,” “Let’s Shake” and “Picture My Face.”

Longtime friend Lou Molinaro said Lewis “always wanted to be a rock star and he was. He was one of the best.”

The band seemed well on its way to international fame in the early ’80s, with a series of concerts set up for New York City, but Lewis was seriously injured in a car accident from which it took him more than a year to recover. In the meantime, the American showcase was cancelled.

The band continued playing over the decades but in smaller venues.

“He is going to be so missed,” Molinaro said. “He was such a great soul, such a great person.”

The body was discovered by police during a wellness check, which was prompted by a 911 call from a staff member at the Spectator.

Multiple reporters and media outlets were sent a string of messages from two email accounts with the name Jonathan Lewis that began about 8 p.m. Saturday and continued into late morning Sunday.

The messages included complaints about needing help for medical issues, but also include multiple references to his father being dead.

One email sent Saturday night included: “Now I just want to get help for my sickness and give my Dad a proper burial. He didn’t deserve this.”

On Sunday, shortly before 11 a.m., another email included: “Funeral people need to get here quick. My Dad is starting to decay.”

It was the latter email that prompted the Spectator to call police out of concern for Gord’s safety.

The apartment belonged to Gord Lewis, but his son had been staying there for an unknown amount of time.

Beck said the exact timeline of the murder is not clear, but police believe it likely happened about two to three days before the body was discovered.

She described it as an “isolated incident” and said there are no other suspects.

Mental health is believed to be a factor in Lewis’s death , but Beck said it’s not clear to what extent.

It is too early to know if a weapon was involved and whether any weapons were left in the apartment.

This marks the third homicide of the year in Hamilton.