James Kottak, former drummer for Scorpions and Kingdom Come, has died. He was 61 years old.
According to the New York Post, the famous musician passed away in Louisville, KY, on Tuesday, January 9. The cause of his death is not known. However, Metal sludge He reported that he may have suffered cardiac arrest.
His daughter, Tobi, initially made the announcement, prompting the Scorpions to release a tribute.
“Very sad news…our dear friend and drummer of 20 years, James Kottak, has passed away at the age of 61,” the current band members wrote. “…James was a wonderful human being, a great musician and a loving family man…he was our “brother from another mother” and we will miss him dearly. … Rock’n Roll forever RIP James. Klaus, Rudolf, Matthias, Pawel and Mikkey.”
James Kottak first played with the band when they recorded their 1984 hit. Move like a hurricane. He then joined full-time in 1996 and remained with the Scorpions until 2016. His tenure is the longest of any member in the group’s history.
James Kottak played drums in several bands during his career
An ongoing battle with alcoholism eventually ended Kottak’s time with the band. In 2014, police arrested him for public intoxication and the problem only escalated from there.
“We got to the point – or he It got to the point where it just wasn’t worth it,” said the band’s guitarist, Matthias Jabs, according to Deadline.
Kottak battled addiction for the rest of his life. Two years after leaving the Scorpions, he admitted that he couldn’t fully commit to a sober lifestyle.
“For the last 10 years, I would say I was about 90 percent sober, and then I would have these struggles and I would go through a bad period of two or three weeks,” he said.
Before playing drums with the Scorpions, Kottak spent eight years with the German rock band Kingdom Come, starting in 1987. He also played with Montrose, Warrant, Buster Brown, Wild Horses, McAuley and Schenker Group during his career.
James Kottak is survived by his son, Matthew, whom he shared with his ex-wife, Athena Lee.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn