Type O Negative singer/bassist dies at age 48

[Northman]

Sad day for me as im a big fan of the band.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1637106/20100415/type_o_negative.jhtml


Peter Steele, Type O Negative Singer, Dead At 48
Singer reportedly died of heart failure, according to manager.

By Gil Kaufman


Peter Steele of heavy metal band Type O Negative has died of heart failure at age 48. Steele (born Petrus Ratajczyk), the burly 6'7" bassist and lead vocalist of the Brooklyn goth-metal band, formed Type O in the early '90s after stints in several other groups, including the hardcore act Carnivore.

A spokesperson for Type O bandmates Kenny Hickey and Johnny Kelly confirmed the report to MTV News on Thursday (April 15). And according to CBS News, band manager Mike Renault sent an e-mail saying, "Peter passed away last night. As of now it appears to have been heart failure. That's all the details we have right now."

The band's most recent label, SPV/Steamhammer Records, issued an online statement about Steele's passing. "It's with great sadness that we give our condolences to the family and friends of Peter Steele," it read. "He died on April 14th, 2010. With his bands Carnivore and Type O Negative he achieved cult status and was loved by fans around the world. ... The world has lost a charismatic frontman and a very talented person. Our condolences go to Peter's family, friends and the members of his bands."

Fuse metal hostess Mistress Juliya (Juliya Chernetsky) tweeted about the news on Wednesday. "Today is a very sad day in metal ... end of an era ... Peter Steele passed today," she wrote. "I loved my friend ... our idol ... my heart is with his band and family."

Blabbermouth.com, a site run by the band's former label, Roadrunner Records, also reported that Type O keyboardist Josh Silver had confirmed that Steele died on Wednesday. The label's staff posted a lengthy remembrance of Steele on Thursday.

A rumor circulated that Steele had died in 2005, but that turned out to be a publicity stunt to promote their new record, making it difficult to assess the validity of this latest report. The earlier rumor sprung from an image of a tombstone with his name and the dates 1962-2005 that was briefly posted on the band's Web site but then removed. Steele reportedly suffered from clinical depression, reflected in the band's doom-laden lyrics, dark image and an often morbid sense of humor.

Type O released seven studio albums, with their most recent being 2007's Dead Again.

[GEM]

That effing sucks. Love me some Type O.

[MasterShake]

Man, I remember the first time I heard "My Girlfriend's Girlfriend". This sucks!

[Davii]

Sad to hear that. I met Pete in San Francisco after they co-headlined a show with Cradle of Filth at the Warfield. He seemed like a great guy and was very easy to talk to.

They put on one hell of a show every time I saw them (six times). That show in San Francisco, he actually threw that bottle of wine he used to drink from all show, and the woman next to me that tried to catch it missed and caught it with her face. Pete actually came back out while the roadies were getting ready for Cradle of Filth, apologized to her, and gave her an autograph.

I highly doubt if it this is another publicity thing like in 95, but I wish it were. He was still a young man, he lived a hard life, but he was still young.

If you ever met him in person you would've been in awe at how massive he was, the guy was a mountain of a man.

Well, i'll remember to have a drink for him every halloween while listening to Black #1. Then again, according to the song, everyday is halloween!!!

vFwYJYl5GUQ

Rest in peace Pete.

[frauschieze]

My friend called me today to tell me the news. When I got off the phone, my 21 year old classmate asked me who died. When I told him, he had a blank look. I told him the band and he was clueless. Kids these days. :yardog:

So glad I got to see Type O in concert, even if it was only for three songs. I am totally jealous, Davii.

[Davii]

My friend called me today to tell me the news. When I got off the phone, my 21 year old classmate asked me who died. When I told him, he had a blank look. I told him the band and he was clueless. Kids these days. :yardog:

So glad I got to see Type O in concert, even if it was only for three songs. I am totally jealous, Davii.

I felt extremely lucky to meet Pete. I was friends with Cradle of Flith's bassist, Dave Pybus, so I got to spend some time with Pete a few times on that tour. He was a good man. He spent most of his time trying to keep all the band members getting along. The keyboardist had actually punched Dani (COF lead singer) one night for hiding a bottle of whiskey from him then disappeared. Needless to say when he showed up at the next show Dani was still wanting to get in a fight over it, Pete actually sat Dani on his knee and had a chat with him. One of the strangest things i've ever seen. Dani is lucky if he's 5'5" and he looked like a little kid sitting on 6'7" Pete's knee.

[Northman]

I felt extremely lucky to meet Pete. I was friends with Cradle of Flith's bassist, Dave Pybus, so I got to spend some time with Pete a few times on that tour. He was a good man. He spent most of his time trying to keep all the band members getting along. The keyboardist had actually punched Dani (COF lead singer) one night for hiding a bottle of whiskey from him then disappeared. Needless to say when he showed up at the next show Dani was still wanting to get in a fight over it, Pete actually sat Dani on his knee and had a chat with him. One of the strangest things i've ever seen. Dani is lucky if he's 5'5" and he looked like a little kid sitting on 6'7" Pete's knee.


Awesome. Haha!

Dani is one hell of a midget so the minute you said put him on his knee i just knew where you were going. :lol:

To this day i remember seeing TON with Queensryche in 95' and right before TON got finished with the set Pete said "Thank you, and you can catch us on tour next year with Milli Vanilli". Dude was a card i will miss him and his music.

[atwater27]

Loving you is like loving the dead! Loving you is like loving the dead!

[shank]

who is tipe oh negatwiv?

[Northman]

Some parting words from family and friends.


It is with great sadness that we inform you that Type O Negative front man, bassist, and our band mate, Peter Steele passed away last night of what appears to be heart failure.

Ironically Peter had been enjoying a long period of sobriety and improved health and was imminently due to begin writing and recording new music for our follow up to "Dead Again" released in 2007.

The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results. The funeral services will be private and memorial services will be announced at a future date. We'd like to share our thoughts and those of Peter's family below.
We are truly saddened to lose our friend and appreciate the tremendous outpouring today from around the world.

Sincerely,

Josh, Kenny and Johnny


Josh Silver: "Peter, My endless source of frustration, (as I'm yours) you have really done it this time. You have changed and touched countless lives through music, comedy and often brutal honesty. You've made life both interesting and irritating and I could not imagine not having known you for 37 years. It still isn't true in my mind but in time I will miss you and the creating that we all endured together. We certainly disagreed constantly and I believe (and hope) we all learned from each other. Should I call you my brother, friend or neighbor? I can only call you Peter (and usually after 2 PM). We laughed at ourselves more times then I can count. Knowing humans are preposterous creatures and I know we reveled in that fact. I will miss you in time, but at this moment your premature departure seems surreal and has pissed me off to no end. Though I never told you that I harbor a deep respect for you, I do. Goodbye my friend."


Kenny Hickey: "Peter Steele was one of the most brilliant and funny personalities in music and it was all for real. Half the time people thought he was joking, but he was actually telling the truth. Part of me died with him."


Johnny Kelly: "It's impossible for me to put into a few sentences what I am feeling at the moment Peter. I'm not sure if I should eulogize or roast you. Both good and bad, we went on one hell of a ride together and sadly, the ride has come to an end. You truly were a unique person. Your music touched many people. Myself included. Whether it was talking about The Beatles, power tools, how Pluto was no longer considered a planet or calling me at 3am asking me to drive to your house to have a fistfight with you, you always kept it interesting. It was a privilege to have been your bandmate. It's something that I will always cherish."


In a statement issued today by Steele`s family: "Legendary Goth/Heavy Metal musician Peter Steele died suddenly Wednesday, April 14, 2010, after a short illness at the age of 48. He wrote and orchestrated the music for the Brooklyn-based band Type O Negative, a groundbreaking group known for its dramatic lyrical emphasis on the themes of romance, depression, and death. Steele, renowned as much for his striking physical appearance as his musical talent, was the creative force behind the bands 20-year success writing most of the material for the their albums. Type O Negative and Steele have been lauded as a major influence by numerous alternative and metal bands. The band gained a worldwide following through touring and recording seven studio albums, two best-of compilations, concert DVDs and music videos. Their 1993 album "Bloody Kisses" went platinum, and the 1996 follow-up "October Rust" went gold.

The music world has lost a great talent, and music fans worldwide are mourning, but for our family we are mourning a beloved brother, uncle, cousin, friend and funny man. Peter Steele was a complex man, known for his brooding looks, his self-deprecating sense of humor, unique view of the world, and most of all his loyalty to his fans, friends and family. Survived by five sisters, the eldest living sister notes that he was more than our brother, he was our son. His untimely death is tragic - a great loss to us and to music. The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results, and funeral plans at present remain unknown. The family thanks fans for their loyalty to Peter and band members, but request that fans and media respect their wishes for privacy.

In addition to his success in music, Peter Steele also tried his hand at acting, appearing in HBO`s Oz and the cult classic film Bad Acid. He also composed music for the film soundtracks "Freddy vs. Jason" and "Mortal Combat", the television movie "Nosferatu: The First Vampire", and the soon-to-be released "Living the American Nightmare."

[CoachChaz]

Damn...I didnt hear this. I met Pete as well when they opened for Pantera in '94. Really cool guy. I think I've seen them about as much as any band I've ever seen. They always seemed to be opening for someone.

Pantaer, Queensryche, Zombie, etc

[Buff]

Wow, that sucks. I have a picture with Pete somewhere, maybe I'll try to dig it out this weekend.

[Buff]

Just exchanged texts with my friend who I met Peter Steele with, here was his response:


I'll always remember Ozzfest '97... "If you have to take a piss or shit do it now because Pantera's on next." -P.Steele

[atwater27]

wow, i didn't know this! From wiki...

In April 2007, Steele revealed that he began identifying himself as Roman Catholic in recent years, after decades of self-professed atheism. In an interview with Decibel magazine, Steele explained: “There are no atheists in foxholes, they say, and I was a foxhole atheist for a long time. But after going through a midlife crisis and having many things change very quickly, it made me realize my mortality. And when you start to think about death, you start to think about what’s after it. And then you start hoping there is a God. For me, it’s a frightening thought to go nowhere. I also can’t believe that people like Stalin and Hitler are gonna go to the same place as Mother Teresa.”[4]

[Northman]

Its not uncommon really. Dave Mustaine became a christian later in life after being atheist for so long. I think part of it is what Peter says regarding his health and the other part is opening up one's mind as time goes and as one gets older you become more mature with your thinking and self examination.

[atwater27]

It's just funny because the band was pretty anti-Christian in the 80's.