Late rocker Johnny Ramone's autobiography is finally going on sale later this year - eight years after he died of prostate cancer.

The Ramones star, who is considered one of the most influential guitarists in rock, passed away in 2004 aged 55 after a five-year health battle.  Ramone's widow Linda reveals the punk star began writing the memoir when he started to fall ill, and now the book, titled Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone, is complete.
 
She tells the Associated Press, "Johnny's legacy to him was so important, even while he was sick... It was like he knew he was dying, and he wanted to do something... Between all those years of doing different things for his legacy, I always had the book. But there was never the right time for the book...
 
"It is a really powerful book because his whole life has gone before him and he knows it's going to come to an end, and he really needs to tell everybody what he's feeling inside, so that's what makes it so amazing. That is the biggest, most powerful thing, writing a book when you know you're dying."
 
The musician's widow helped select photos to be included in the tome, while his former bandmate Tommy Ramone, the only surviving member of the iconic punk group, has written the foreword.
 
In a statement, Tommy says, "Johnny Ramone's autobiography is a no holds barred, straight-forward book written in a no-nonsense style that is Johnny personified. His story is written in his own actual words, so the reader gets an insight into what made him the unique, charismatic and exciting individual that he was. It also gives a great view of The Ramones from Johnny's perspective."
 
The book is to be released in April.