CHICAGO - PUNK rock pioneer Ron Asheton, the guitarist for the Stooges, was found dead Tuesday in his Michigan home, police said. He was 60.

Asheton was found on his living room couch after a friend who had not heard from him for several days asked police to check on him.

It appeared as though he had been dead for several days and foul play is not suspected, said Ann Arbor police lieutenant Angella Abrams.

'I am in shock. He was my best friend,' Stooges lead singer Iggy Pop said in a statement on his website.

Iggy Pop and his band members - including Asheton's brother Scott - remembered the guitarist as an 'irreplaceable' friend, brother and musician.

'For all that knew him behind the fa�ade of Mr Cool & Quirky, he was a kind-hearted, genuine, warm person who always believed that people meant well even if they did not,' they said in the statement.

'As a musician Ron was The Guitar God, idol to follow and inspire others.

That is how he will be remembered by people who had a great pleasure to work with him, learn from him and share good and bad times with him.'

Asheton was named number 29 among Rolling Stone's Top 100 Guitarists of All Time and the magazine credited him for writing 'some of rock's most memorable riffs' including 'No Fun,' 'I Wanna Be Your Dog' and 'TV Eye.' He formed the Stooges with Iggy Pop, bassist Dave Alexander and his brother Scott on drums in 1967 in Detroit.

The band was known for its wild performances and helped kickstart the punk rock revolution of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

They released two albums - 'The Stooges' and 'Fun House' - before Asheton took over on bass guitar in 1973 for 'Raw Power.' Asheton went on to play with a number of different bands after the Stooges split in 1974, including Destroy All Monsters, New Race, Dark Carnival and the Powertrane.

The Stooges reformed in 2003, playing several shows together and releasing a new album 'The Weirdness' in 2007. -- AFP