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A.J. Pero, drummer for the rock band Twisted Sister, died on Friday. He was found unresponsive on a tour bus in Poughkeepsie, New York and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly thereafter. Pero was 55. The cause of death was an apparent heart attack.
“The members of Twisted Sister are profoundly saddened to announce the untimely passing of our brother, AJ Pero,” the group announced on Facebook on Friday. “The band, crew and most importantly the family of AJ Pero thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time.”
Pero had been playing gigs with Adrenaline Mob, a band with which he performed while not touring with Twisted Sister. He joined Twisted Sister in 1982, left in 1986, but returned in 1997. He played on all but one of the iconic hair metal band’s albums.
In a statement, frontman Dee Snider called Pero “the final piece in a band that would become an international sensation.” He said of his late bandmate, “His sledgehammer assault on the drums helped drive Twisted Sister and I to greatness, and inspired me to rock every single show. My heart breaks knowing I will never feel the power of his beat behind me, or turn to see his face smiling broadly from the sheer joy he got from doing what he loved.”
