Written by: Alex Green

Frankie Banali has died.

The Quiet Riot drummer was 68.

Banali’s 2019 Stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis was not something he shared with the public and chose instead to keep his battle private until fairly recently.

In a statement his wife Regina said: “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.”

The Queens-born drummer joined Quiet Riot ten years after their formation, debuting on their 1983 breakthrough Metal Health album. He played on twelve Quiet Riot albums and served as their manager since 1994. He also played with Billy Idol, Faster Pussycat, Steppenwolf and W.A.S.P.

Banali is survived by his wife and daughter.

A devoted advocate for animal rescue and welfare and a sponsor of Children’s International, Banali’s family has said that donations in the late drummer’s name are encouraged to be made to the following organizations:  Fixnation.org, Pancan.org, Children.org.