Armored Saint rocker John Bush has spoken out on the death of Quiet Riot’s Frankie Banali, following the late drummer’s 16-month battle against pancreatic cancer.
Speaking to RadioactiveMike Z, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM radio program Wired In The Empire, Bush reflected on memories of Banali, as well as detailing his struggle against the largely incurable cancer.
“We toured with Quiet Riot on our first tour. That was Armored Saint’s first tour, on the road, going out and opening up for Quiet Riot and Whitesnake,” Bush began. “Quiet Riot was [touring in support of] the Condition Critical record, it was, like, their first major release in America, with ‘Slide It In’. It was amazing times,” he said.
Speaking of the Quiet Riot rocker’s cancer diagnosis, he said: “Frankie battled super hard, and he was given a raw deal by getting this really horrible pancreatic cancer that he had, and he fought it [in a] super noble [way] for years.”
“Nobody needs to go out that way. It’s just terrible.”
Bush added that he saw Banali “not too long ago, at the Ronnie Dio gala,” adding: “That was one of the last things that my wife and I did to go out [before the pandemic]. And I think it was in February at the Avalon in Hollywood. And Frankie was there. And he was talking — he gave a little speech — and he seemed very together. It was obvious that he was still fighting.”
“I have very fond memories of that tour,” Bush added. “Quiet Riot gave us an opportunity to go out and open for them. We were playing arenas… I mean, those are just amazing times,” he recalled.
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“We [had just released] our debut full-length record, March Of The Saint, and we were on the road with Quiet Riot and Whitesnake playing these venues. We were very lucky. We were very fortunate.”
“So I’ll always treasure those memories, and I hope Frankie is resting in peace now.”
Frankie Banali died at the age of 68 on August 20th after battling stage IV pancreatic cancer, with doctors initially giving him just six months to live when he was diagnosed in April 2019, after discovering that his cancer “had already metastasized to his liver,” making it “incurable.”
Meanwhile, Frankie’s Quiet Riot bandmates have since confirmed the band will continue without their late drummer, who joined the band in 1982.
“It was Frankie Banali’s wish that the band continue and we keep the music and the legacy alive,” the band wrote on social media following his death.
“We are happy to have shows on the calendar with many more TBA and very much look forward to celebrating the history and legacy of Quiet Riot with all of you in 2021 and beyond…!!”
Check out ‘Mental Health’ by Quiet Riot:
