TYPE O NEGATIVE frontman Peter Steele is rumored to have died of heart failure earlier today (Wednesday, April 14).

Mistress Juliya of Fuse TV wrote on her Twitter page earlier tonight that she spoke to TYPE O NEGATIVE guitarist Kenny Hickey just before midnight New York time, and that Kenny confirmed that the rumors were true.

Revolver magazine's editor-in-chief Brandon Geist also posted on Twitter that he has heard reports of Steele's passing. "Hoping [the rumors] are not true, but the source is good," he wrote.

It should be noted that there ***has been no official statement*** released by TYPE O NEGATIVE or the band's management to corroborate these reports.

Back in 2005, many people were shocked when they logged on to the TYPE O NEGATIVE web site and saw a gravestone with the words "[P]eter Steele - 1962 - 2005 .... Free At Last" carved on it. According to Epinions.com, there were rumors at the time that Steele was sick (with anything from cancer to AIDS), was on his deathbed, attempted suicide ... and the list goes on. Needless to say, it turned out that Steele was very much alive and the gravestone was merely a joke, albeit one the wasn't viewed as being in particularly good taste.

Steele was born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York. He stood 6' 7" (201 cm) tall, and had a low, bass-heavy voice, which was one of the most recognizable features in TYPE O NEGATIVE's music.

Before forming TYPE O NEGATIVE, Steele played for the metal group FALLOUT and the thrash band CARNIVORE.

Type O Negative keyboardist Josh Silver has confirmedthat the band's frontman, Peter Steele, passed away yesterday (Wednesday,April 14) at the age of 48. No official cause of death has yet been released, but it is believed that Steele died of heart failure.

RIP

The music world has lost yet another great one too young. May he rest in peace.

david draiman is mentioned in a comment about peter steele by Lordi guitarist Amen

Finnish monster rockers LORDI have issued the following update:

"[The] sad news [of Peter Steele's passing] reached us couple of days ago.

"LORDI were honoured to tour with TYPE O NEGATIVE in 2007.

"Our condolences go to everybody who knew Peter, to his family and friends, and to the members of his bands."

"I met him on that 2007 tour," says guitarist Amen (real name: Jussi Sydänmaa), "and the first time he came to our backstage it was like a solar eclipse! He was a huge guy and let me tell you, I was scared! But he had a heart of gold, he was a real gentleman.. at least toward us. He asked if he could walk through our backstage to his since TYPE O's backstage was behind ours. Polite man. Truly."

"One night, in Chicago, David [Draiman] from DISTURBED was performing with TYPE O. After the show I really wanted to meet David and somehow I found enough courage to knock on TYPE O's bus door as I knew there was an aftershow party going on. So, a half-naked girl opened the door, I walked in, and Peter asked me to sit down and offered me whiskey. I took a swig and handed the bottle back, then he took a swig and handed the bottle to me and so on. David was there, too, and they seemed to be really good friends. Peter was telling jokes all the time, and talking really fast, so the more whiskey I had the less I understood, but we laughed a lot! What I do know is that he was a nice guy and really talented. He will be missed..."

^Damn.... that was a cool message!

Thanks for posting. I didn't even know Steele and I miss him :(

Here's an interview before his death that brings more light onto how awesome the guy was!

On what Steele aimed to accomplish with "Dead Again":

"To alleviate poverty, primarily. I just played 'Sgt. Pepper' backwards at double-speed and stole all the riffs. ... If you play the album backwards, it actually says, 'I buried Pete,' not Paul."


On whether there was a "Normal Peter" and "Stage Peter":

"When I go onstage, I do have to access that part of my personality. But it's really funny, like, going foodshopping and being recognized by fans. And of course, I’m taking toilet paper off the rack when they come over. I’m like, 'I’m sorry. I (defecate), too.' I love to see people’s reactions. We’re just 'humanzees.' When people see something different, they’re stunned. You know, like a stunned George Bush staring with his mouth open? And then people will laugh at things that are different. You know why you’re laughing? Because I’m a threat to you. That’s why you’re laughing. Because every time you laugh, you kick the reaper in the (scrotum). So keep laughing. Because I am the reaper. I am the prophet of doom."

On styling himself:

"I was thinking about bleaching my hair white to look like the Winter Warlock, and to put green streaks in it. But all these hairdressers were like, 'Oh, you’re hair’s going to fall out!' I’m like, 'I’m dead already! What do I have to lose?' The hair on my head is a wig, anyway. I just thought it would be really cool. I’m, like, 445 years old now. I don’t feel my age. To see someone 70 years old with dyed black hair, you’re like, 'Hmmm, I dunno. Is that a wrinkled teenager? What is that?' So at some point, I’m going to have to stop doing this. It’s gonna look ridiculous. I don’t wanna look like Elvis Presley at 60 years old. There’s this great thing: If you take a Now Or Later (brand) taffy, and you push it onto your gums, and you take peanuts and push them into the taffy, it looks like 'baked bean' teeth. The girls love it."

On other ways of getting a response:

"If you drink two-week-old milk and you have vomit breath…€” oh man, they love it. I just like being a social experiment sometimes. I really should not be allowed in public. But I just go out into the public just to see people’s reaction. The thing is, I can do anything I want, virtually, within reason, just to see people’s reaction. ... People laugh at me because I get in the shopping cart and push myself down the aisle, like, knocking over cereals. People are laughing at me. Then I pull over and I’m like (in lowered voice), 'The day will come when you will never laugh again.' And then I go look at pork chops. 'Whattaya mean they’re $10.99 a pound?' Sometimes, I just buy stuff just to see people’s reactions. Because everybody looks in everyone else’s carts. If you’re buying low-fat yogurt and 100 boxes of tampons, it gains a little bit of attention."

On a personal philosophy:

"I’m a 'specist.' I hate the human race. Of course, therefore, I hate myself the most, because I am the least of the human race. I’m the product of 6 million years of evolution? Come on, man. I crawled out of a swamp yesterday. I’m the product of the fastest swimming sperm cell? What if I was the slowest one? Here I am! I’m human! I can eat you, therefore I’m superior. What separates me from animals? No. 1, we laugh because we never can die. We’re the only species who hunts for sport. Actually, I’m a heterosapien. People are like, 'Are you a homosapien?' 'No, I’m a heterosapien. Whattaya mean?' "

Steele's advice if you're being chased by a bear in the woods:

"If you were in the woods with me, I would not have to outrun the bear. I would just have to outrun you. ... There’s, like, Kodiak bears and there’s black bears. One of them, if you sit down like you’re (defecating), they wait. And they tap their feet like they’re waiting for you. But the other bears come right after you. If you can (defecate) and run at the same time, that’s a 50-50 probability. They may or may not stop running after you."


Steele's parting thought:

"Listen, if no one has told you they love you today . . . (Steele paused as if he was about to say 'I love you') . . . maybe somebody will tomorrow."