http://www.ronniemontrose.com/

Very sad news. We'll miss you, Ronnie. I'm cranking up Space Station #5 and some Gamma today.

Loved some of his early stuff ...but the Territory and The Speed of Sound discs featured a previously untapped harmonic sophistication and IMHO his best playing.

RIP Ron.

Yes, Space Station #5 was very good. How did he pass away? This is news to me.

That's sad. I have his 1st LP (w/ Space Station #5), Paper Money, Warner Bros. Presents Montrose!, Jump On It, plus Gamma 1, Gamma 2, and Gamma 3. Haven't played any of them for quite awhile (musical tastes changed over the years), I need to break them out and give them a listen.


-kd5-

Legendary American rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose died earlier today (Saturday, March 3) after a five-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 64 years old.

For anyone who may not know, he's the guitarist on Edgar Winter's They Only Come Out At Night album, thus the guitarist on "Frankenstein".

Rock Candy is an all time classic! R.I.P.

"He went out on his own terms"....read into that what you may. Sounds like he took a nice drug cocktail and checked out. Prostate cancer can get very painful.

Well, he and Rick Derringer (who also produced and played many other instruments on it, too).

Sad news, though. That's two in one week for me. Ronnie was a tasty guitar player, and I was quite fond of Montrose's debut disc. Some of the finest stuff he and Sammy Hagar ever did.

Space Station #5 of course is #1 but don't forget about Rock the Nation. R.I.P. Ronnie

Was just listening to the first Montrose album the other day. Weird.

"So get on your bad motor scooter and ride!"

UPDATE: According to Guitar Player, a report by the San Mateo County Coroner's Office, released on April 6, confirms legendary guitarist Ronnie Montrose died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The toxicology report also showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.31% when he died — almost four times the legal limit in California. No evidence of other drugs was found in his system.

The Montrose family posted the following statement on RonnieMontrose.com:

"By now, the devastating truth of Ronnie's death is public knowledge. We hope you can understand why we wanted to keep this news a private family matter for as long as possible. We can only hope that you will choose to celebrate Ronnie's life, and what his music meant to you, rather than mourn his passing. Ronnie would have wanted it that way. He loved being a guitarist, a composer, a producer, and a creator of magic. He fully understood his gifts, and yet he constantly pushed himself to evolve, improve, and make better music. He did this for himself, and he did this for you, because he adored and appreciated his fans. Please keep his energy, his joy, and his love in your hearts."

Although Montrose did not leave a suicide note, his wife/manager Leighsa Montrose feels he was probably always planning for an exit.