TWISTED SISTER: AJ Pero Passes Away

TWISTED SISTER have announced the sad news via their official Facebook page that drummer AJ Pero passed away today, Friday 20th March. AJ, whose full name was Anthony Jude was 55 years of age. You can read the statement below:

“The members of Twisted Sister are profoundly saddened to announce the untimely passing of our brother, AJ Pero

The band, crew and most importantly the family of AJ Pero thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time.”

Frontman Dee Snider has posted this heartfelt message:

“Today I lost a brother. Anthony Jude Pero passed away. A.J. was 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. 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. I will always remember that smile. RIP my friend.”

After high school, A.J. was offered the opportunity to join a well-known Tri-State area band. The band was blown away by his style and prowess and hired him on the spot. The band was Twisted Sister. During his tenure with Twisted Sister from 1982-1987, A.J. recorded 6 albums and embarked on 4 world tours. His drumming style was the driving force behind the band and he has been recognized as one of the industry’s most prominent drummers. As the drummer for Twisted Sister, A.J earned 32 Gold , Silver, and Platinum albums and singles, most notably the triple platinum album “Stay Hungry” which spawned two gold singles. To date the band has sold over 20 million albums.

In 2001,Twisted Sister found themselves together again as a result of the tragic events of September 11th. The band reformed to host a
charity show with other NY area musicians. The event, “NY STEEL”, was a benefit for the families of the uniformed men and women who lost their lives on that day.

Although they had not anticipated it, Twisted Sister continues to tour today, headlining sold out arena and festival shows around the world. In 2004, A.J. went back in the studio with Twisted to re-record the “Stay Hungry” album, entitled “Still Hungry”. This album completely showcases A.J. talents as the rhythm backbone of that band. Currently, Twisted Sister and A.J.’s version of “Born to Be Wild” can be heard as the official theme song for Robbie Kneivel’s A&E realty show,”Kneivel’s Wild Ride”.