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Dee Snider Of Twisted Sister Confirms Cause Of Bandmate A.J. Pero’s Death

By Val Powell
Published on: 16:06 PST, Mar 23, 2015

In a tweet posted yesterday, March 23, Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider confirmed that bandmate A.J. Pero died due to a heart attack. On the same tweet, Snider further revealed that the Twisted Sister drummer had advanced heart disease.

A Twitter user named Rob Tipton sent Snider a question inquiring as to the cause of Pero’s death. On a tweet, the fan wrote: “Dee, with all respect bro – what caused it?” Snider’s reply was brief: “Massive heart attack. Advanced heart disease.”

Pero died last Friday, March 20, at the age of 55. He was on tour with the heavy metal band Adrenaline Mob. After members of the band failed to wake him up on their tour bus that morning, they rushed Pero to a hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York. Upon arrival, the drummer was pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.

“… He had a massive heart attack in his sleep and we lost him. He was the first member of the band to die, and it’s very sad,” Snider shared to X17 Online. Upon news of his friend and bandmate’s untimely death, Snider cut his vacation short and went home to Los Angeles last weekend.

The band also expressed their sympathy by announcing Pero’s death on their official website with a statement saying: “The members of the Twisted Sister are profoundly saddened to announce the untimely passing of our brother A.J. Pero. The band, the crew, and most importantly the family of A.J. Pero thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time.”

When asked about how they are going to replace Pero with a drummer as talented as he was, Snider said they can’t.

“A.J. was the final piece in a band that would become an international sensation and one of the greatest live rock acts to ever hit the stage. His sledge hammer assault on the drums helped drive Twisted Sister and I to greatness and inspired me to rock every single show. My heart breaks knowing I will never feel the power of his beat behind me, or to turn to see his face smiling broadly from the sheer joy he got from doing what he loved. I will always remember that smile.”

Pero’s wake is going to take place this Wednesday, March 25, in New York. Snider also said that Twisted Sister will continue to play for the financial benefit of Pero’s family.

[Image via YouTube]

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