Frankie Banali obit

Frankie Banali, Quiet Riot Drummer, Dies at 68

Banali was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in April 2019

He was not on the list.
 

Frankie Banali, the drummer of ’80s heavy metal band Quiet Riot who had also played with W.A.S.P. and Billy Idol, has died following a battle with cancer. He was 68.

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April 2019, Banali went public about his illness last October. Earlier this year his family launched a GoFundMe page to help pay for his medical bills after undergoing 17 rounds of chemotherapy at that point.

Banali’s family announced his passing in a statement on Friday, saying that Banali “put up an inspiringly brave and courageous 16-month battle to the end and continued playing live as long as he could. 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 Aug. 20 in Los Angeles surrounded by his wife and daughter.”

Quiet Riot was the first heavy metal band to top the American pop charts with their cover of Slade’s “Cum on Feel the Noize.” The band’s 1983 album “Metal Health” hit number one on the Billboard charts and featured other songs such as “Bang Your Head (Metal Health)” and “Love’s a Bitch.”

Banali was featured on every Quiet Riot album and is the second member of the heavy metal band to pass away after singer Keith DuBrow died in 2007. The band’s story was told in a 2015 documentary “Well Now You’re Here, There’s No Way Back” directed by Banali’s fiancee Regina Russell.

Banali also played drums on Billy Idol’s “Mony Mony” and “L.A. Woman” and was a member of the Los Angeles shock-rock band “W.A.S.P.,” playing on their albums “The Headless Children” and “The Crimson Idol.”

Banali is survived by his wife Regina and daughter Ashley.