Twisted Sister Drummer dies

So you introduce yourself in a thread about a drummer dying??

Maybe a good time to go back and read the forum rules and the part about posting in the proper section.
 
Wow, 55, too young.

I was in the audience the night of the Bonham bash that they used for the picture in the article.

Sad.
 
The band said Anthony Jude Pero died of an apparent heart attack while touring with Adrenaline Mob, a group with which he played in between engagements with Twisted Sister.

Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French said Pero was on a tour bus Friday morning when Adrenaline Mob band members tried unsuccessfully to awaken him, then called an ambulance. He was taken to a hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he was declared dead shortly after 11 a.m
 
I'm a TS fan. Stay Hungry was an important album for me. Not many drummers have a timeless signature beat and We're Not Gonna Take It has one of the great ones.

R.I.P A.J. Pero
 
Wow, 55? WAAAAAAYYYY too young. Man, I remember listening to Twisted Sister on my way to school, in my very used '78 Mustang back in the mid to late 80's. Two girls and a buddy of mine would be jammin' and head bangin' the whole way there as loud as my stock sound system would go. AJ's fills were dashboard crushing, go in and flip over desks, ass kickin' stuff.
 
How terribly sad. When I saw he died of a heart attack I thought "YES, on stage, whacking drums around, too young but WAY TO GO". It's the way I want to go (that, or my beloved Stockport County FC scoring a late goal to win promotion).

Then I read the reality and can't help just feeling really sad.

If there's an afterlife, and I hope there is, I hope AJ makes up for his lost time.....

Sniff
 
Wow...that's a shock.I went to a clinic with A.J.,and I thought he was a pretty damn good rock drummer.Bumped into him a few times afterward,seeing as how both of us are Staten Island boys.Go easy man.

Steve B
 
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There was a point in the early 80's where everyone heard this guy on the radio at least once a day. If that's not success (at least success as defined at the time) then what is?

I have to chuckle at the sheer amount of metal suspended in the air in that picture... stretching the Ludwig Modular concept to its inevitable conclusion.

AJ was probably an unconscious influence on thousands of drummers around the time. That sound and especially that album were everywhere and typified 80's metal for a generation. I can still hear it in my head. Too young.
 
I remember reading a Modern Drummer interview with A. J. back in the mid-eighties and really enjoyed his perspective on music and how he engaged the audience in his solos. Gene Krupa was a family friend who gave him tips and was a passionate fan of Sonny Payne, so he spoke with a respect for the history of the instrument. You can find the interview archived (Roy Haynes is on the cover), but I don't want to post any links which may violate MD's copyright terms. Anyway, A. J. could really throw down and 55 is way too young to go. RIP.
 
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