Died On This Date (October 20, 2011) Terry Span / Guitarist For Aleister Wild
themusicsover Terry Span
DOB Unknown – October 20, 2011
Terry Span was the founding lead guitarist for Colorado Springs hard rock band, Aleister Wild. Span formed the group in Canton, Ohio during the 1990s, but eventually relocated to Colorado. Following a gig on October 8, 2011, Span reportedly tried to step in to stop an altercation between a couple of his band mates when bass player, Michael Sorden allegedly hit him hard enough to put him into a coma. As reported in the Huffington Post, Terry Span, age 48, ultimately died from his injuries on October 20, 2011.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number 1 Albums for the assist.
Mikko Laine was the guitarist in Finnish metal band, Sole Remedy. Formed in 1998, the band steadily built a legion of fans for its progressive and dark elements. According to 
Jonas Bergqvist, known professionally as B, was as songwriter and founding guitarist for Swedish narcotic metal band, Lifelover. Formed in 2005, Lifelover began building a sizable following thanks in part to such albums as 2006’s Pulver, Dekadens (2009) and their most recent, Sjukdom, released in February of 2011. They were also a popular concert draw across Europe. Jonas Bergqvist died unexpectedly on September 9, 2011. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Johnny Giosa was a rock drummer from Los Angeles, CA (by way Pennsylvania) who is perhaps best remembered as a recent drummer for the revitalized ’80s metal band, BulletBoys. Over the course of his career, Giosa played with several other acts and still found time to model, act, and style hair, reportedly “for the stars.” During the early morning hours of August 28, 2011, Johnny Giosa was killed when his car swerved into a pillar along the 405 freeway. Cause of the accident was not immediately released. Giosa was 42.
Jani Lane is perhaps best remembered as the front man and main lyricist for the wildly successful late ’80s / early ’90s hair metal band, Warrant who went on to sell over four million albums. Lane was just barely out of diapers when he first learned to play the drums in Akron, Ohio, and by the time he was 11, he was performing at local clubs. After graduating from high school, he joined his first proper band, Cyren, and by the mid ’80s, he was in the thick of L.A.’s exploding pop-metal scene with his own band, Plain Jane. In 1986, Lane and band mate Steven Sweet joined forces with guitarist, Erik Turner in the latter’s up-and-coming glam metal band, Warrant. The group quickly built a following throughout West Hollywood’s storied Sunset Strip clubs thanks in part to Lane’s commanding stage presence and talent as a songwriter. It wasn’t long before they were signed to Columbia Records, who went on to release a string of hit albums that included the double-platinum sellers, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich and Cherry Pie. The colorful band fast became darlings of MTV with such videos “Down Boys” and “Cherry Pie,” and found themselves playing in front of countless screaming fans around the world. Following the release of Warrant’s third album, Dog Eat Dog, Lane decided to leave the group, but returned the following year and continued on until 2004, only to leave again and return for one last time in 2008. By the end of that year however, he was gone for good due to conflicts within the band. Throughout the 2000s, Lane lent his vocal talents to several other projects, released a solo album, and was part of the hard rock supergroup of sorts, Saints of the Underground, which included members of Ratt and Alice Cooper’s band. Lane also dabbled in acting, appearing such early ’90s films as Caged Fear and High Strung. In 2005, he competed in VH1’s reality fitness program, Celebrity Fit Club where he lost 23 pounds. On August 11, 2011, Jani Lane, age 47, was found dead in a Woodland Hills, California hotel room. The Los Angeles Coroner’s office ultimately ruled that he died of acute ethanol poisoning.