New York, NY (Top40 Charts) A.J. Pero, the drummer for the heavy-metal band Twisted Sister, died Friday. He was 55.
The band said Anthony Jude Pero died of an apparent heart attack while touring with Adrenaline Mob, a group with which he played in between engagements with Twisted Sister.
Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French said Pero was on a tour bus Friday morning when Adrenaline Mob band members tried unsuccessfully to awaken him, then called an ambulance. He was taken to a hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he was declared dead shortly after 11 a.m.
"His drive was the heart and soul of the band's sound, the engine that drove us," French said. "We lost a friend and a legend."
Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider called Pero "the final piece in a band that would become an international sensation and one of the greatest live rock acts to ever hit the stage. His sledgehammer assault on the drums helped drive Twisted Sister and I to greatness, and inspired me to rock every single show," Snider said. "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."
Anthony Jude Pero (October 14, 1959 - March 20, 2015) was an American drummer, in American heavy metal bands Twisted Sister and Adrenaline Mob.
Pero went to St. Peter's Boys High School in Staten Island, but left because the faculty made him cut his hair. He then went to New Dorp High School and graduated in 1977. He was initially a jazz drummer, later gravitating to heavier music akin to Rush and Led Zeppelin.
Pero worked as a taxi driver for a time, and joined Cities, a local New York City band. He joined Twisted Sister in 1981, after seeing them play at a club and being told they were in need of a drummer. Upon his departure from Twisted Sister in 1986, he re-joined Cities. He participated in the band's 1997 reunion and continued to perform with Twisted Sister until his death.
He was also a member of
Ozzy Osbourne Cover Band No More
Tears which is well known around Staten Island, New York.
In 2007 Pero formed Circle Of Thorns with former Cities guitarist Steve Mironovich AKA Steve Irons.
In 2011 Pero played drums on a song titled "Elephant Man" on the Eric Carr CD Unfinished Business.
On December 3, 2013, Pero was announced as the new drummer of the band Adrenaline Mob.
On March 20, 2015, Adrenaline Mob's band members attempted but failed to wake Pero on their tour bus. The band was traveling from Baltimore to Poughkeepsie. Pero was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead from an apparent heart attack.
