Mark Reale, founding guitarist of the classic New York-based metal band Riot, passed away earlier today (Wednesday, January 25th), after a life-long battle with Crohn's Disease.
The 57 year old Reale had recently suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage on January 11th, and was reportedly in a coma, effectively derailing Riot's American tour plans in support of their latest album, Immortal Soul, which was recently released on SPV Records.
Although the band has attempted to solider on without Reale thus far on the tour, the future of Riot looks uncertain after their involvement with the 70,000 Tons of Metal cruise for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines finishes up this Friday, January 27th.
According to a statement from the band's Facebook account:
"To friends and fans of Mark Reale and RIOT, we are deeply saddened to confirm that Mark has lost his battle with a lifelong illness. Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated by Mark's family, friends, and bandmates at this difficult time."
Riot has been no stranger to tragedy during their almost forty year career in hard rock and heavy metal, however, having lost original singer Guy Speranza to pancreatic cancer in 2003, while Speranza's replacement Rhett Forrester was murdered this very same month in 1994. Fellow Riot frontman Mike Tirelli has also suffered his own bout with disease, having been diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2008.
Since their 1975 formation, the band-ever led by Reale's blistering yet soulful guitar work-has run the gamut stylistically from brash, riff-focused hard rock to the double-bass driven power metal of 1988's Thundersteel LP. Although never earning much more than a cult fan following here in the States, Riot's recorded work helped lay the groundwork for countless working class metal bands of the day, and the band has enjoyed a healthy fan following in Europe and Japan for many years.
Having exclusively streamed a new Riot track from Immortal Soul only recently, the Cape Cod Rock Music Examiner urges all to celebrate the life and career of Mark Reale by playing his records loud 'n proud throughout the New Year.
Condolences and thoughts are with Riot, the Reale family and all of the band's fans worldwide.
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