Charlie Quintana, former Social Distortion drummer, dies at 56
[Photo by: Starwood Nightclub/Facebook]
Musician Charlie “Chalo” Quintana—a former drummer for Social Distortion, Izzy Stradlin and more—has died at the age of 56, according to a report from Loudwire. Read some artists' condolences for the drummer below.
Quintana performed for 10 years in Social Distortion, from 1999-2009, appearing on the band's 2004 sixth album, Sex, Love And Rock 'N' Roll, and their 2007 Greatest Hits compilation. Prior to his stint in Social Distortion, the percussionist played in late-'70s Los Angeles punk band the Plugz and performed drums on Izzy Stradlin's (Guns N' Roses) first solo album in 1992.
The drummer, who was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1962, died on Tuesday, March 13, in Mexico, where he had moved in recent years to care for stray dogs. Quintana's death was revealed in the following post to Facebook, although a cause of death for the musician has not been revealed:
Quintana built a strong reputation as a live and session drummer, backing performers such as Bob Dylan, Cracker and Agent Orange over the years. Read tributes to the drummer from Guns N' Roses' Matt Sorum and the band Cracker (who call him “one of the greatest drummers of all time”) right here:
#Rip Charlie Quintana pic.twitter.com/ozkzC6k4v1
— matt sorum (@mattsorum) March 15, 2018
Charlie “Chalo” Quintana has passed away. One of the greatest drummers of all time. A true test of a drummers ability is a slow song. No one could ever match him on this. It was an honor to have recorded this and so many other songs with him. https://t.co/LKJqJxEq7T
— TheBandCracker (@TheBandCracker) March 14, 2018
Upon leaving Social Distortion in 2009, the band publicly thanked the musician for “10 great years” in the group. “Playing with Social D for ten years was a good time in my life,” Quintana said. “I was lucky to play on two Social D records and the second solo album, and I am proud to have been part of the band. We hit some spectacular heights which I will never forget—adios amigos!”
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to return Quintana's body to the U.S. from Mexico—visit it here.
