Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali died on August 20 at the age of 68 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.
The rocker was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in April of 2019 and given six months to live; his father passed away from the same issue when the drummer was in his early 20s, and he lost his mother to breast cancer on his 39th birthday.
"He put up an inspiringly brave and courageous 16-month battle to the end and continued playing live as long as he could,” shared his widow Regina in a statement. “Standard chemotherapy stopped working and a series of strokes made the continuation on a clinical trial impossible.
"He ultimately lost the fight at 7:18PM on August 20th in Los Angeles surrounded by his wife and daughter."
"He lived for playing live and performed for millions of fans around the world throughout his career,” continued the statement. “Frankie is survived by his devoted wife Regina, loving daughter Ashley, many dear friends, dedicated fans, and a menagerie of rescue animals, all of whom are family. He was a longtime advocate for animal rescue, a spokesperson for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, and a sponsor of Children International.
“Donations in his name are encouraged for Fixnation.org, ASPCA.org, Pancan.org, or Children.org. His wish for everyone is that you be your own health advocate for early detection so you may live long and rescue many animals.”
Funeral plans will be announced at a later date.
Banali joined the Quiet Riot lineup in 1982, a year before the band released their third album, “Metal Health”; the project went on to sell 6 million copies in the US and become the first heavy metal record to top the Billboard 200 thanks to the success of their cover of the Slade classic “Cum On Feel The Noize” and the title track.
The group issued two more albums before firing lead singer Kevin DuBrow in 1987, a decade after he formed the outfit in Los Angeles; Rough Cutt singer Paul Shortino stepped in for 1988’s “QR” before they disbanded a year later.
DuBrow eventually won the rights to the Quiet Riot name and played with a variety of lineups, with Banali returning in 1993 and becoming the band’s manager the following year; the run lasted until 2003 when the group disbanded again before reforming, with DuBrow dying from a cocaine overdose in 2007.
Three years later, Banali relaunched Quiet Riot with the blessing of DuBrow’s family and kept the band together for the past decade alongside guitarist Alex Grossi and bassist Chuck Wright and a rotating list of singers, including current vocalist Jizzy Pearl.
