Died On This Date (June 3, 2012) Bobby Durango / Rock City Angels
themusicsover Bobby Durango
DOB Unknown – June 3, 2012
Bobby Durango is perhaps best remembered as the lead singer of the ’80s hard rock band, Rock City Angels. Formed out of the ashes of a punk band called the Abusers – Durango performing as Bobby Bondage, Rock City Angels eventually morphed into a glam-by-way-of punk band that built a sizable following on their home turf of South Florida. By the late ’80s, they found themselves in Hollywood and Durango was going by Bobby St. Valentine. Numerous line up changes later, including a stint with pre-21 Jump Street Johnny Depp on guitar, the band caught the attention of Geffen Records who signed them to a lucrative deal. The band released their debut album, Young Man’s Blues in 1988 and subsequently toured with the likes of Joan Jett and the Georgia Satellites before focusing on their second album. Unfortunately for bands like Rock City Angels, it was the early ’90s and bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and their grunge brethren to the north, were starting to draw kids – and record labels – away from the hair and post-hair metal bands of the Sunset Strip, so Geffen dropped them before their new album came together. The band eventually broke up but reunited to record Use Once & Destroy in 2001. Durango continued on with the group, in one form or another, for the better part of the next decade and were reportedly working on a new album to be released in late 2012. But Bobby Durango passed away unexpectedly on June 3, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.
Thanks to Janiss Garza for the assist.
Steeve Hurdle was the one-time guitarist for respected Canadian death metal band, Gorguts. What started out as a fairly standard heavy band in 1989, quickly evolved into one of the most technically advanced outfits of the scene. Hurdle joined the band in 1998 and played on their breakthrough album of that same year, Obscura. He either wrote or co-wrote every song on the 60-minute opus. Although highly praised, the album hit just as death metal was losing steam, so Gorguts was subsequently dropped from their label. Hurdle and the band soon parted ways as well. In 1994, he formed Negativa who garnered a loyal legion of fans for its avant metal sound. They released their debut, Negativa, in 2006. Steeve Hurdle died from complications of an initially undisclosed surgery on May 20, 2012. He was 41. More about Steeve can be found on this 
Armand Crump was a beloved guitar tech who, over the years worked with such metal acts as Trivium, Shinedown, and most recently, Slayer’s Kerry King with whom he worked for many years. Armand Crump was 35 when he passed away on March 31, 2012. Cause of death was not immediately released.
