Died On This Date (June 28, 2010) Bill Aucoin / Discovered & Managed KISS
themusicsover Bill Aucoin
December 29, 1943 – June 28, 2010
Bill Aucoin was a highly successful artist manager who, over the course of some 30 years, represented the likes of KISS, Billy Idol, Manowar, Billy Squier, and Starz, to name a few. After studying film in college, Aucoin was heading down a road to becoming a cinematographer when, in 1973, he discovered KISS and began managing them through the first decade of their career. His vision and the fact that he funded their first tour out of his pocket helped pave the way for the band’s massive success. They parted ways in the early ’80s, but worked together again on DVD packages in later years. Bill Aucoin died of complications associated with prostate cancer on June 28, 2010. He was 66.
Thanks to Craig Rosen at Number1Albums for the assist.
Bobby Bloom was a singer, songwriter and musician who scored a big pop hit with “Montego Bay” in 1970. The song reached #8 in the U.S. and #3 in the U.K. As a songwriter, Bloom co-penned the Bobbie Gentry and Billy Idol hit, “Mony Mony,” as well as “Sunshine,” a hit for the Archies. On February 28, 1974, Bloom was accidentally shot and killed during an altercation over a woman. His assailant was never caught.
Brian Damage was a rock drummer who once played with Glenn Danzig in his band, the Misfits. Prior to that, Damage played with Genocide and Verbal Abuse. He joined the Misfits in 1983, but his first show ended up being the band’s farewell concert. And Damage didn’t even complete that show, as reports indicate, he was so drunk that the other band members physically removed him from the stage mid-show and continued on with another drummer. Following his brief tenure with the Misfits, Damage landed several studio and live gigs with many other artists. That list includes Raging Slab, Princess Pang, Sylvain Sylvain, Low Pop Suicide, Susannah Hoffs, Billy Idol, and the Fuzztones. Brian Damage died of cancer on January 12, 2010. He was 46 years old.