It was seven years ago last week, on April 17, that the "The Godfather of Punk" was laid to rest at Hillside Cemetery in Lyndhurst. Still, fans far and wide make the trek to the graveyard overlooking Medieval Times and Lyndhurst’s office district to pay tribute to Jeffry Hyman, a.k.a. Joey Ramone.

Hyman, who died of lymphatic cancer on April 15, 2001, made rock and roll history as the lead singer of the Ramones, arguably the first punk rock band. Travelling south on Orient Way, one would take the third entrance into Hillside Cemetery, labeled New Mount Zion, the Jewish section of the cemetery, to find Hyman’s grave.

Once in New Mount Zion, one would enter a gate labeled "NY Social Club." Three rows behind a tombstone labeled "Steinberger/Malek" lies Hyman’s gravestone. His last name is adorned with a Jewish star on the left and a pair of eighth notes on the right.

Although tucked away, it’s really hard to miss. On and around the tombstone lie piles of artifacts left by fans, including a black leather motorcycle jacket, part of the Ramone’s signature look, dried stiff from the elements. Dozens of small stones and pebbles lie on top of Hyman’s gravestone, part of a Jewish tradition to signify a person came to visit as well as a sign of respect. Under one stone, a lipstick kiss-print on a napkin wrapped in a ziplock bag grows bacteria.

"It feels good to see how the fans remember Joey and how they express their love," said Arturo Vega, longtime friend and art director for the band. Vega was in Lyndhurst last Tuesday to pay his respects.

Vega read the fan letters to Hyman placed on the grave since his last visit. "You were a huge part of me growing up and a positive influence. ‘We want the world and we want it now’ were words I lived by. You’ll always have a special place in my heart. Rest in peace, Joey Ramone," wrote Bill, a fan.

Other items left on his grave include stuffed animals, a guitar pedal, three music CDs, a black-and-white striped shirt, letters and photographs. Fans left stones with titles of Ramones songs, like "Beat on the Brat" and "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" and messages like "We love you Joey" painted on them. Someone even left Joey a Pile a Gunz concert ticket for an upcoming show on April 25 in Linden.

Carlstadt musician Paul Meehan remembers seeing the Ramones play at CBGB in New York City, the seminal New York City rock club where the Ramones got their start. Hyman’s brother, Mickey Leigh Hyman, was in a band called the Rattlers and played a gig with Meehan’s band Off the Cuff at Sneakers in Passaic, Meehan recalls.

DeeDee and Marky Ramone, the bassist and drummer of the band, filled in on drums for the Rattlers and the club went wild, said Meehan. Meehan said the Ramones fame was a given, even though the band belonged to a niche. "It was a punk thing," said Meehan. "They were big in Japan. Japan loves everything."

Today, the Ramones can be heard everywhere from baseball stadiums to car advertisements to video games.

Hyman’s grave receives a significant number of visitors, according to staff at Hillside Cemetery, and fans routinely head to the main office to ask for directions to his grave.

Mt. Zion was founded in the early 1900s. Historically, most of the burials are of New York City residents. The case remains the same today. Rutherford poet William Carlos Williams and both founders of Becton-Dickinson, Henry Becton and Fairleigh Dickinson, also rest in Hillside Cemetery.