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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Rhett Forrester was most famously, the lead singer of American hard rock band, Riot from 1981 to 1984. A charismatic stage performer, Forester likely took the best of his tennis and ballroom dance training into the hard rock arena where he helped lead Riot to the top of the US metal scene as a much-in-demand live act. Riot split up in 1984 and Forrester went on to release a well received solo album in 1986. Forrester’s life came to a tragic end in the early morning of January 22, 1994 in what is believed to be an act of random violence. While sitting at a stop light in Atlanta, Forrester was approached by two apparent strangers. According to a witness, there was a brief altercation, prompting one of the men to pull out a gun and shoot Forrester in the back. He drove a few blocks where he died as a result of the shooting. The perpetrator was never apprehended.