Type O Negative is one of my all-time favorite bands. I’ve seen them play live more times than I can count, they’re Halloween shows were the best. Sadly, last night their lead singer, Peter Steele, passed away of heart failure at the age of 48.
Peter Steele of Type O Negative
Peter Steele was born Peter J. Ratajczyk on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York. Steele has several noteworthy characteristics including his height at 6’7″. He is the lead singer, bassist and composer for the “gothic” metal band, Type O Negative. Steele has a low, heavy, bass voice, which is one of the most recognizable features of the Type O Negative’s music. There are several stories that state that Steele apparently suffers from clinical depression. He also raised some eyebrows when he posed nude for Playgirl magazine (ladies, you can just search Google to find those photos!).
RIP Peter Steele
At this time no official statement of his death has been made, but reports say that his death was confirmed by band mate, Kenny Hicky. Internet buzz of his passing was met with a bit of skepticism because back in 2005 the band’s website featured an image of a gravestone engraved with the message “Peter Steele -1962 -2005 ….Free At Last.”
Type O Negative's website announced Steele's "death" back in 2005
I met the band back in 1996 when they did an in-store promotion where I worked, for their October Rust release. I remember they requested that the Beatles be playing for the time they were there. They were all nice enough guys (although it appeared that there were many other places they’d rather be than there) but Peter Steele was the most personable.
A fresh-faced, young "R-K" with Type O Negative back in 1996
He chatted with me about what music I liked (he asked specifically about the band Elastica…hey, it was 1996…) and asked me if I was going to their show that night and when I said I wasn’t, promptly had me put on the list. Maybe he was flirting with me a little (despite the fact that I was standing there with my boyfriend) because I wasn’t falling over myself to talk to him. Or maybe he was just being a dog.
RIP Peter Steele.