Peter Steele Type O Negative front man, bassist, passed away last night of what appears to be heart failure.

It is with great sadness that we inform you that Type O Negative front man, bassist, and our band mate, Peter Steele passed away last night of
what appears to be heart failure.

Ironically Peter had been enjoying a long period of sobriety and improved health and was
imminently due to begin writing and recording new music for our follow
up to "Dead Again" released in 2007.

The official cause of death has yet to be determined pending autopsy results. The funeral services
will be private and memorial services will be announced at a future
date. We’d like to share our thoughts and those of Peter’s family
below.
We are truly saddened to lose our friend and appreciate the tremendous outpouring today from around the world.

Sincerely,

Josh, Kenny and Johnny


Josh Silver: “Peter, My endless source of frustration, (as I'm yours) you have really done it this time. You have
changed and touched countless lives through music, comedy and often
brutal honesty. You've made life both interesting and irritating and I
could not imagine not having known you for 37 years. It still isn't true
in my mind but in time I will miss you and the creating that we all
endured together. We certainly disagreed constantly and I believe (and
hope) we all learned from each other. Should I call you my brother,
friend or neighbor? I can only call you Peter (and usually after 2 PM).
We laughed at ourselves more times then I can count. Knowing humans are
preposterous creatures and I know we reveled in that fact. I will miss
you in time, but at this moment your premature departure seems surreal
and has pissed me off to no end. Though I never told you that I harbor a
deep respect for you, I do. Goodbye my friend.”


Kenny Hickey: “Peter Steele was one of the most brilliant and funny
personalities in music and it was all for real. Half the time people
thought he was joking, but he was actually telling the truth. Part of
me died with him.”


Johnny Kelly: “It’s impossible for me to put into a few sentences what I am feeling at the moment Peter. I’m not
sure if I should eulogize or roast you. Both good and bad, we went on
one hell of a ride together and sadly, the ride has come to an end. You
truly were a unique person. Your music touched many people. Myself
included. Whether it was talking about The Beatles, power tools, how
Pluto was no longer considered a planet or calling me at 3am asking me
to drive to your house to have a fistfight with you, you always kept it
interesting. It was a privilege to have been your bandmate. It’s
something that I will always cherish.”


In a statement issued today by Steele`s family: “Legendary Goth/Heavy Metal musician Peter
Steele died suddenly Wednesday, April 14, 2010, after a short illness at
the age of 48. He wrote and orchestrated the music for the
Brooklyn-based band Type O Negative, a groundbreaking group known for
its dramatic lyrical emphasis on the themes of romance, depression, and
death. Steele, renowned as much for his striking physical appearance as
his musical talent, was the creative force behind the bands 20-year
success writing most of the material for the their albums. Type O
Negative and Steele have been lauded as a major influence by numerous
alternative and metal bands. The band gained a worldwide following
through touring and recording seven studio albums, two best-of
compilations, concert DVDs and music videos. Their 1993 album “Bloody
Kisses” went platinum, and the 1996 follow-up “October Rust” went gold.

The music world has lost a great talent, and music fans worldwide are
mourning, but for our family we are mourning a beloved brother, uncle,
cousin, friend and funny man. Peter Steele was a complex man, known for
his brooding looks, his self-deprecating sense of humor, unique view of
the world, and most of all his loyalty to his fans, friends and family.
Survived by five sisters, the eldest living sister notes that he was
more than our brother, he was our son. His untimely death is tragic – a
great loss to us and to music. The official cause of death has yet to
be determined pending autopsy results, and funeral plans at present
remain unknown. The family thanks fans for their loyalty to Peter and
band members, but request that fans and media respect their wishes for
privacy.

In addition to his success in music, Peter Steele also tried his hand at acting, appearing in HBO`s Oz and the cult classic
film Bad Acid. He also composed music for the film soundtracks “Freddy
vs. Jason” and “Mortal Combat”, the television movie “Nosferatu: The
First Vampire”, and the soon-to-be released “Living the American
Nightmare.”