Sad news today, as it’s been confirmed that Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali has died after battling pancreatic cancer. Frankie passed away the night of Thursday, August 20th, 2020. He was 68 years old.
According to Blabbermouth, Banali was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April of 2019. In a statement, his widow Regina says, “He put up an inspiringly brave and courageous 16-month battle to the end and continued playing live as long as he could. Standard chemotherapy stopped working and a series of strokes made the continuation on a clinical trial impossible. He ultimately lost the fight at 7:18PM on August 20th in Los Angeles surrounded by his wife and daughter.”
Quiet Riot’s Facebook page does not currently feature a post about Frankie, but has changed its entire ‘About’ section to a description of the drummer, saying, “Frankie Banali’s history with QUIET RIOT began in 1982 and he has the distinction of being the only member of QUIET RIOT to have recorded on every single QUIET RIOT release from Metal Health through Rehab.”
Quiet Riot were one of the most respected and exciting bands the 1980s hair metal explosion; they were also the first band of famed Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Randy Rhoads. More than others, they endeared themselves to hardcore metalheads by being more acrobatic and dedicated to the cause than others. Instead of sappy ballads, the band were known for their rabid anthems like “Bang Your Head (Metal Health),” which focused on being a street rat rather than a pretty boy.
But the band will always be best known for “Cum On Feel The Noize,” a cover of early glam rockers Slade, which featured a massive singalong chorus and vaulted the band to superstardom. The song is so synonymous with Quiet Riot that many fans don’t know its a cover version, the original never gaining the same fame as their rendition.
Everyone at The Pit wishes Frankie’s friends, family, loved ones and fans all the best during this difficult time.
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Words by Chris Krovatin
