Reports That Type O Negative Frontman Pete Steele Has Died

Reports have surfaced stating that Pete Steele, frontman for Brooklyn-based metal band Type O Negative, died on the evening of April 14, 2010 from heart failure.

Rumors of Steele’s death first arose late Wednesday night on Facebook from posts by friends of the musician’s family who had been notified. Just before midnight, Fused TV VJ Juliya Chernetsky, aka Mistress Juliya, posted to her Twitter account confirming that the 48-year-old musician had died. “He passed of heart failure today. Just spoke to Kenny,” Chernetsky wrote, presumably referring to Steele’s Type O bandmate guitarist Kenny Hickey.

As of 2AM EST, no other information has surfaced and no official statements released. We’ll update this story as soon as more details are available.

Steele was born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, NY. While working as a sanitation worker for the New York City Department of Sanitation in the 1980s — a job he always said he loved — Steele fronted thrash pioneers Carnivore, known for throwing raw meat into the crowd during their live shows. In 1990, Steele formed Type O Negative, which had a more gothic-metal look and sound. Steele played bass and was the lead vocalist for the band, as well as its main composer. The band eventually rose to fame and heightened popularity with their videos for ode to goth chicks “Black No. 1″ and “Christian Woman,” and had continued to record and perform up until a few years ago.

During the band’s time in the spotlight, the musician appeared on the cover of Playgirl and posed fully nude for the magazine. Steele was known to suffer from depression and had had issues with substance abuse. In 2005, his Carnivore bandmate Keith Alexander was killed in a bike accident in Brooklyn.

**Update**

The website for rock radio station KNAC.com is reporting that they have been able to confirm “according to a source from within the band” that Peter Steele has indeed passed away from heart failure at age 48. They add that the singer was apparently Ill for a few days prior to his death.
[link to geeksofdoom.com]


so sad, RIP Pete Steele