Died On This Date (April 5, 2007) Mark St. John / KISS

Mark St. John
February 7, 1956 – April 5, 2007

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Before joining KISS in 1984, Mark St. John was a guitar teacher and musician in Los Angeles. He was brought on board to record Animalyze. Unfortunately, he didn’t get along with the other members and was starting to have arthritic trouble with his hands so he was replaced with Bruce Kulick by year’s end. But it should be noted that Animalyze is the most successful of KISS’ post-makeup releases and re legitimized the band in the heavy metal community. The album spawned a video for “Heaven’s On Fire,” the only known KISS footage to include St. John.  The year following his abbreviated tenure with KISS found St. John teaming up with vocalist David Donato to form the glam metal band, White Tiger. After moderate success with their debut album, White Tiger disbanded while working on demos for its follow-up. Over the next several years, St. John continued to try to get something going with his career and continued to do session work. During that time he worked separately with Jeff Scott Soto, Peter Criss, Phil Naro, and even David Hasslehoff, but nothing substantial materialized, so he reportedly went back to teaching guitar to make his living. On April 5, 2007, Mark St. John died from a cerebral hemorrhage.

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Died On This Date (November 24, 1991) Eric Carr / Kiss

Eric Carr (Born Paul Caravello)
July 12, 1950 – November 24, 1991

Eric Carr was a multi-instrumentalist, but primarily a drummer who goes down in rock ‘n roll history as the first replacement for Peter Criss in Kiss.   Upon Criss’ official departure from Kiss in 1980, the band held auditions for a replacement.  Although he submitted is application a day after the deadline and was the very last to try-out, Carr was selected to continue on with the band under the guise of “The Fox.”  Over the course of his career with Kiss, Carr played on such albums as Creatures of the Night, Lick It Up, Animalyze, and Asylum.  Carr also sang lead on a handful of songs during Kiss live shows, as well as on a re-recording of “Beth” which had originally sung by Criss.  On November 21, 1991, Eric Carr, age 41, died of a brain hemorrhage that resulted from heart cancer which he had been suffering from for some time.

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Died On This Date (October 16, 1973) Gene Krupa / Jazz Icon

Gene Krupa
January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973

Gene Krupa was arguably the most influential jazz drummer of all time.  Krupa learned to play drums as a youngster, and by his late teens he was playing his first professional gigs with bands throughout Wisconsin.  He graduated to the Chicago scene in the late ’20s when he was selected to back the popular Thelma Terry and her Playboys.  He played on six recordings by Terry.  Krupa moved to New York City in 1929 to play with Red Nichols and eventually Benny Goodman, with whom he became a household name.   In 1938, he formed his own band which featured such greats as Anita O’Day and Roy Eldridge.  The next year, the band appeared as themselves in Some Like It Hot, in which they performed the hit song of the same name.  Movie fans may also recognize Krupa playing himself in 1954’s The Glenn Miller Story which starred Jimmy Stewart and June Allyson.  Krupa was also the subject of a Hollywood film, The Gene Krupa Story, which starred Sal Mineo as the drummer.  He retired from performing to open a school in the late ’60s.  Future Kiss drummer, Peter Criss was one of his students.  Gene Krupa died of leukemia and heart failure at the age of 64.

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