Died On This Date (January 25, 2012) Mark Reale / Founder of Riot
themusicsover Mark Reale
June 7, 1955 – January 25, 2012
Mark Reale was a guitarist who is best remembered as the founder of and creative force behind influential hard rock band, Riot. Born in New York City, Reale began putting the group together in 1975. Two years later, they released their acclaimed debut album, Rock City. Before they knew it, they were touring with the likes of KISS, Molly Hatchet, AC/DC, Sammy Hagar, and Rush. In 1981, they released Fire Down Below which is considered their masterpiece and one of the defining metal albums of the early ’80s. Reale disbanded Riot in 1984 and started another band, Narita, but reformed it a couple of years later. Riot continued to perform and record through the fall of 2011 when they released their latest album, Immortal Soul. Mark Reale, was 56 when he died from complications of Crohn’s Diseased on January 25, 2012. Former band mate Rhett Forrester was the victim of an unsolved carjacking/murder in 1994, while original lead singer, Guy Speranza died of pancreatic cancer in 2003.
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Guy Speranza was the original lead singer for New York heavy metal band, Riot. Formed in 1973, the band struggled to make it and were on the verge of breaking up when, in 1981 the began to find their audience thanks to what was to be called the New Wave of British Heavy Metal that began to break heavy metal into the mainstream. They began touring with such popular metal acts as AC/DC and Molly Hatchet, and were soon signed to Capitol Records. Speranza sang on Riot’s first three albums, but left the after the release of their Capitol debut in 1981. He later retired from music and moved to Florida where he became an exterminator. Guy Speranza, 47, died of pancreatic cancer on November 8, 2003.