Written by: Alex Green

Stereo Embers is sad to report the death of Jimi Jamison.

The former Survivor singer died of a heart attack at his home in Memphis on Sunday evening.

He was 63.

The Memphis-raised Jamison got his start with a local band called Target, but rose to prominence with the metal outfit Cobra. His muscular delivery could soar into a mighty falsetto and he remains perhaps one of the most underrated vocalists of the last 30 years.

He provided background vocals for everyone from Joe Walsh to ZZ Top before taking over frontman duties with Survivor in 1984. Their first album with Jamison was Vital Signs, a record which spawned hit after hit, including the ballad “The Search Is Over” and the rousing “High On You.”

Jamison’s solo career found him releasing a series of strong records and he’s also known for co-writing and singing the theme song for “Baywatch.”

A little known fact about Jamison is that he was once asked to replace Ian Gillan in Deep Purple, a band he deeply admired.

Jamison was about to embark on a tour with Survivor in early September that was to begin in the U.S. and make its way into Europe.