An icon of the legendary Sunset Strip, the Key Club, will be closing its doors permanently this month. The venue has hosted a slew of who’s who of music, but recent troubles, including a brief closure at the end of 2009, has finally forced the Key Club’s closure.

Ian Shepp, operations manager at the Key Club, left a note for fans on their Facebook page:

It is with a heavy heart that I share this news with you. Regretfully, we will be closing our doors at the Key Club Friday, March 15^th. To everyone’s who’s called Key Club a second home, I can’t thank you enough for supporting us and the artists who’ve rocked our stage.

In the coming months our space will welcome a new project, which I encourage you to check out.

Shepp also asks fans to continue to support the remaining live venues on the Sunset Strip: The Roxy, the Whiskey a Go Go, and The Viper Room.

“The Key Club has always been an iconic, integral part of the Sunset Strip, first as Gazzarri’s,” veteran publicist Lesley Zimmerman told LAWeekly. “New bands [and well-known ones] were welcomed with open arms. Its closing is truly the end of an era.”

- Carlos Delgado, CBS Radio