RETROSPECTIVE – Rock Star Obituary 2010

It is probably a safe bet to wager that the loss the metal scene suffered this year was felt by all fans, regardless of taste. For those who had no interest in Type O Negative, Slipknot or Pretty Boy Floyd, the death of the legend that was Ronnie James Dio caused fans around the world to take to the blogs, forums and magazines to pay tribute to one of the most iconic metal performers of all time. Yet whilst some of the artists to pass away over the last twelve months were still relevant and enjoying commercial success, others had long since slipped into obscurity and had embarked on new lives outside of the music industry. Regardless, they all played a part in the history of rock and their memories will live on through their fans.

British-born Tony Clarke, who passed away from emphysema on January 4th, first started out as a session musician for Decca Records during the early 1960s, before turning his attention to producing with such artists as The Moody Blues, Clannad and Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. Christopher Tidmarsh, better known as Neil Christian, had started out as the frontman for Neil Christian and the Crusaders, which is noted for being an early project for both Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page and Deep Purple‘s Ritchie Blackmore. Christian, who also died on January 4th, was exactly one month shy of sixty-seventh. Having co-founded independent label Wax Trax! in the late 1970s with business partner Jim Nash, Dannie Flesher had been instrumental in the early success of Ministry, who released a succession of 12″ singles on the label in the early 1980s, before signing with Arista Records in 1983. Other artists that would work with Wax Trax! over the years included KMFDM, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Revolting Cocks and Coil, but the pair were forced to file for bankruptcy in 1992 and sold the company to TVT Records. Three years later, Nash passed away and Flesher eventually withdrew from the industry, instead relocating to his home town of Hope, Ark, where he died from pneumonia at the age of fifty-eight.

Brian Keats was a former drummer for punk legends Misfits and had performed with the group during the same time as Glenn Danzig. Born in Brooklyn, Keats (also known as Keitz) had also performed with a variety of New York bands during the 1980s, before eventually relocating to Los Angeles. Keats had been battling liver cancer and died on January 12th at forty-six. Two members of London-based metal band After Death drowned whilst on a beach in Aracaju, Brazil on January 20th. Eighteen-year old Timothy Kennelly lost his life after attempting to save bandmate Leon Villalba whilst taking a break from their tour. Producer Geoff Workman, who had been responsible for such classic albums as Queen‘s Jazz, Twisted Sister‘s Stay Hungry and Mötley Crüe‘s Shout at the Devil (his voice can be heard during the opening track From the Beginning), reportedly died peacefully in his bed on January 21st. Although the name Herb Cohen may not be familiar to most metal fans he has managed some of the most influential and iconic acts of the last forty years, including Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Tim Buckley and controversial comedian Lenny Bruce. Cohen died from complications caused from cancer in Napa, California on March 16th at the age of seventy-seven, after almost half a century in the business.

Jim Marshall was one of the most acclaimed photographers in the industry and had captured many iconic moments on film, most notably Jimi Hendrix setting his guitar on fire during the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Other acts that Marshall had photographed included The Rolling Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin. Vinnie Chas was the original bassist for Los Angeles-based glam metal band Pretty Boy Floyd and had performed on their 1989 debut album Leather Boys With Electric Toyz but left in the early-1990s to form Rattlin’ Bones with former PBF guitarist Aeriel Stiles. It was believed that Chas passed away suddenly in early April but few details were revealed to the public.

Malcolm McLaren was a prominent figure in London during the 1970s with his popular alternative clothing store SEX and the phenomenal success of punk group Sex Pistols, whom he had managed and played a large role in creating their image and sound. During the 1980s McLaren took over as manager of Adam and the Ants, whilst also convincing several members to leace the group and form Bow Wow Wow, who would enjoy minor success on the New Romantic scene. Sixty-four year old McLaren died from mesothelioma, which had initially been diagnosed the previous October. Born Petrus Ratajczyk in Brooklyn in 1962, Peter Steele’s first foray into metal came in the late 1970s with Fallout, before going onto form the controversial group Carnivore. Having split in 1987, Steele’s success would eventually follow with gothic metal band Type O Negative, whose commercial breakthrough came in 1993 with the album Bloody Kisses. At 6′ 8″, Steele was an imposing figure but often displayed a dark sense of humour, whilst also shocking fans a couple of years later by posing nude for adult magazine Playgirl. Although rumours of his death began to circulate as early as 2005, Steele died of heart failure on April 14th.

For many years, Walter Sear owned and operated Sear Sound on West 48th Street in Manhattan, where artists as diverse as Lou Reed, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Sonic Youth recorded albums there. A musician in his own right, Sear was a pioneer of the Moog synthesizer and performed on the scores for movies ranging from the Academy Award-winning drama Midnight Cowboy to the low budget splatter flick Zombi Holocaust. Sear was eighty at the time of his death and lived on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. Ronald James Padavona, better known to his fans as Ronnie James Dio, is often cited as being the instigator of the ‘devil horns’, whilst his résumé spanned five decades and included such bands as Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell, as well as being a very prolific solo artist. A staple of popular culture, over recent years Dio appeared as himself in the musical comedy Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny and was interviewed for the likes of Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey. Florida-based music promoter Leas Campbell had booked so many successful artists throughout his career that it was almost impossible to keep track, although at the top of the list were the likes of Jimi Hendrix, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Elvis Presley, Alice Cooper and Led Zeppelin. Campbell died just three weeks after his seventieth birthday from pneumonia.

Paul Gray was the bassist and founding member of Iowa-formed metal act Slipknot, who first emerged on the scene with their 1999 debut album and the track Wait and Bleed, which soon became a fixture of MTV. Labelled nu metal by critics, the band were noted for their elaborate image and aggressive music and released a further three albums over the following decade. Gray was the subject of controversy in 2003 when he was arrested for cocaine and marijuana possession after crashing his car. He was found dead in a hotel room on May 25th, with an autopsy later revealing the cause to be an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl. Gray was thirty-eight years old.

Fifty-year old Steve New (also known as Stella Nova), who died of cancer on May 24th, was first discovered at the age of fifteen by Malcolm McLaren after replying to an ad in Melody Maker for a guitarist wanted for what would become the Sex Pistols. Having failed the audition, New joined the Rich Kids with Midge Ure and Glen Matlock after the latter had been dired from the Sex Pistols. He later enjoyed various collaborations as a session guitarist with the likes of Iggy Pop and ex-New York Dolls Johnny Thunders before forming Beastellabeast with Beatrice Brown. Brian Duffy first began his photography career working for Vogue during the late 1950s but it would be his work with David Bowie almost twenty years later that would find the most acclaim, particularly his artwork for the 1973 album Aladdin Sane. Known for his temper, Duffy retired in 1979 and turned his attention to Regency furniture restoration. Romanian pan-pipe player Simion Stanciu, known to fans as Syrinx, gained minor acclaim through his work with English progressive rock band Yes and The Moody Blues, as well as the soundtrack to Jean-Jacques Annaud’s 1981 French movie La Guerre du feu/Quest for Fire. Stanciu was sixty when he died and passed away in Geneva, Switzerland.

Eighty-nine year old Tito Burns first began as an accordionist with his band the Tito Burns Septet in the 1940s, before later taking over as manager of rising star Cliff Richard in the late 1950s. Other artists he would represent throughout his career included The Searchers, Dusty Springfield and Cat Stevens, whilst also serving as a booking agent for The Rolling Stones and The Moody Blues. Burns passed away from prostate cancer on August 23rd. Trevor Fleming had formed Sweet Savage in Belfast in 1979 with future Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell and would become one of the forerunners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the 1980s. Fleming had reportedly been unwell since the beginning of the year and died on October 2nd. Having emerged as part of the punk scene whilst still in her teens as the singer for the Slits, Ari Up was born Arianna Forster to a family steeped in music and popular culture, having met both Jimi Hendrix and the Bee Gees whilst still at school. Having attracted the attention of influential British DJ John Peel, the Slits were signed to Island Records and gained instant acclaim for their debut album Cut (despite controversy surrounding the cover, which depicted the all-girl band topless). After the band split in 1981, Ari Up relocated to New York and later began to travel to such locations as Belize and Jamaica, whilst still performing in various projects. She died of cancer at the age of forty-eight on October 20th.

Cellist Mike Edwards performed with the Electric Light Orchestra between 1973 and 1975, where he gained acclaim for his rendition of The Dying Swan, where his cello would explode into pyrotechnics. Having retired from the music industry, Edwards changed his name to Deva Pramada after converting to Buddhism. On September 3rd, Edwards was killed when he was crushed by a 50-stone bale of hay. Canadian-born bassist Jim Clench had joined April Wine in 1971 and first appeared on their second album, On Record, he following year. He would remain with the band for three further studio albums, before being replaced by Steve Lang for The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy in 1976. The following year Clench joined Bachman–Turner Overdrive and would remain with them until their split two years later, appearing on the albums Street Action and Rock n’ Roll Nights. Rejoining April Wine in 1992, Clench appeared on four albums with the band over the next fourteen years, the last being Roughly Speaking in 2006. He succumbed to lung cancer on November 3rd.