Frankie Banali Quiet Riot-min
[Photo via YouTube]

Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali dies at the age of 68

Frankie Banali, the legendary drummer of Quiet Riot, has died at the age of 68 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

According to his wife Regina, Banali passed away Thursday night in Los Angeles while surrounded by loved ones.

Read more: Hear Harry Styles go pop-punk in this Fall Out Boy mashup

On Apr. 17, 2019, the drummer was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Following his diagnosis, doctors gave Banali six months to live. He then began receiving chemotherapy treatments.

However, according to Regina, the chemo stopped working and Banali suffered a series of strokes. The strokes made it impossible for Banali to continue the clinical trial he was in.

“He put up an inspiringly brave and courageous 16-month battle to the end and continued playing live as long as he could,” Regina says. “He lived for playing live and performed for millions of fans around the world throughout his career. His wish for everyone is that you be your own health advocate for early detection so you may live long and rescue many animals.”

Banali joined the popular ’80s metal band Quiet Riot in 1982. Their widely successful album Metal Health was the first album he played drums on and he went on to play on 12 more of the band’s records. Banali was also the drummer for W.A.S.P and performed on seven of their albums.

Outside of music, Banali was a longtime advocate for animal rescue, a spokesperson for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and a sponsor of Children International.

Read more: This ‘Stranger Things’ experience lets you drive right into the Upside Down

Back in November, Banali talked about his chemotherapy and cancel battle during an interview with SiriusXM.

He is survived by his wife Regina and daughter Ashley.