Johnny Solinger, the former Skid Row singer who served 15 years as the vocalist for the American rock band, died Saturday (June 26) at the age of 55. A statement from Skid Row announcing Solinger’s death read, “We are saddened to hear the news of our brother Johnny Solinger. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans. Godspeed Singo. Say hello to Scrappy for us.” (“Scrappy” was the nickname for Solinger’s grandfather, after whom the singer named his 2014 country debut Scrappy Smith.)
The singer’s death comes just a month after he revealed he was suffering from liver failure. “It is with a heavy heart I must let everyone know what’s going on with me and my health. I have been hospitalised for over the last month,” he wrote. “I have been diagnosed with liver failure. And prognosis is not so good. As with most musicians I do not have health insurance and it’s very difficult to get proper care without it.”
Skid Row enlisted Solinger when the band reformed in 1999 without lead singer Sebastian Bach following their breakup three years earlier. The longest-tenured vocalist in Skid Row’s 35-year history, Solinger sang on the band’s two most recent albums, 2003’s Thickskin and 2006’s Revolutions Per Minute, as well as two EPs (United World Rebellion: Chapter 1 and Rise of the Damnation Army – United World Rebellion: Chapter Two) before leaving the group in 2015 to pursue a solo career.
“The past 15 years has been a great experience and I have appreciated the opportunity to be the lead singer in one of the most prominent bands of the 1990s and share stages with the likes of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi and Kiss, performing in front of millions throughout the world,” Solinger said in a statement at the time.
“A good man with a good soul taken way too soon,” Skid Row founding guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo tweeted Sunday morning. “Thank you Johnny for everything you gave us. God bless you and your family.”
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