Ralph Santolla – formerly of Deicide, Sebastian Bach Band
Ralph Santolla (December 8, 1969 – June 6, 2018) was an Italian-American metal guitarist. He played in many bands, most recently Deicide, but also including Eyewitness, Death (he never recorded any of their albums, but toured with them in 1993 and appeared in “The Philosopher” video), Millenium, Iced Earth, and the Sebastian Bach band. In 2007, he replaced Allen West in Obituary for their album Xecutioner’s Return. Santolla was very proud of his Italian heritage. He played guitars by Jackson and Ibanez with the Italian flag painted on them. He most recently played Jackson Guitars though he had also been associated with ESP Guitars, Dean Guitars and many others. He also used Randall Amplifiers. He was well known for his shred guitar playing style.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Santolla
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Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths…
June 2018
6: Jimmy Gonzalez, 67, American Tejano singer (Mazz), multiple Latin Grammy winner, complications from diabetes; Ralph Santolla, 48, American metal guitarist (Deicide, Death, Iced Earth), heart attack.
5: Brian Browne, 81, Canadian jazz pianist, lung and tracheal cancer.
4: Jalal Mansur Nuriddin, 73, American singer-songwriter (The Last Poets), cancer; Marc Ogeret, 86, French singer.
3: Robert Brylewski, 57, Polish singer-songwriter (Armia, Brygada Kryzys, Izrael); Clarence Fountain, 88, American gospel musician (The Blind Boys of Alabama), diabetes.
1: Eddy Clearwater, 83, American blues singer and guitarist, heart failure; Andrew Massey, 72, British-born American conductor, cancer; Sinan Sakic, 61, Serbian turbo-folk singer.
May 2018
31: Michael D. Ford, 90, English art director and set decorator (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Titanic, The Empire Strikes Back), Oscar winner (1982, 1998); Joseíto Mateo (es), 98, Dominican merengue singer; Demba Nabé (de), 46, German musician (Seeed).
29: Rosa Briceño Ortiz, 51, Venezuelan conductor, leukemia; Jürgen Marcus, 69, German singer (“Chansons pour ceux qui s’aiment”), COPD (death announced on this date).