Quiet Riot lead singer, Kevin DuBrow, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 25. He was only 52. In his honor and to remember the man who sang on some of the most memorable metal anthems of all time, Hardrock Haven and our friends have compiled a quote page full of stories, prayers, praise and memories of what DuBrow meant to us all.

Read now to find out what Cage, Tony Harnell, Kamelot, Helix and many more musicians and friends had to say about their fallen brother, Kevin DuBrow.

Photo provided by Gary Dean Ash

---- "I want to thank everyone for the hundreds of condolences that I've received in honor of Kevin which continues to pour in. With Kevin's passing a very large part of my life and my history has come to end and I can't imagine life without his presence.

I've not slept. There is such a void in every part of my life now. I can't find any words to say that make any sense of it. I can't fix this, I can't change this and I'm expected accept the unbearable. I can't utter a sentence or think of my dear friend or even say his name without a flood of tears.

I can't stand that I won't hear his voice on the phone.
I can't stand that I won't step on a stage with him again.
I can't stand that I won't share another day with him.
I can't stand that I won't sit across from him laughing.
I can't stand to go past the room and see the awards we earned and shared.
I can't stand that life is forever changed.
I can't stand that I can't change this.
I can't stand that I have to accept this.

This is a picture that Kevin sent to me on May 24, 2007. It was taken in 1993 after we had reconciled and started working together again and when he sent it to me he called to say that this is how he will always like to remember us as friends. A relationship in life that continued until now. I want to remember my dear Kevin in life like this rather than in his passing." Frankie Banali (Quiet Riot) reprinted with permission of Frankie Banali from http://www.frankie-banali.com/

Frankie Banali & Kevin DuBrow
photo used with permission from Frankie Banali

---- "I was working at a record store when Metal Health came out; it made me proud as a fan of metal to see that album sell so much every day. It was the breakthrough into the mainstream for sure and it validated to all my non-metal friends that my music had finally arrived. Kevin had a very unique voice that I know touched a lot of people. He left way too soon." Tony Harnell (TNT, Morning Wood, Starbreaker)

---- “I never met Kevin, but for sure I couldn't stop playing my vinyl version of Metal Health the year it was released. I would scream at the top of my lungs along with the songs; he had a strong and powerful voice and was one of my early influences. RIP Kevin, and keep it loud up there! All my deepest thoughts to his family and friends.” Silver Steff (SILVER DIRT)

---- “One of my first albums was a rare Quiet Riot vinyl LP that had Randy Rhoads in the band at the time. Kevin and QR put rock/metal on the commercial map following that and many, many bands would not exist without their influence. The news of Kevin’s death hits very hard, a sad reminder of how delicate life can be.” Thomas Youngblood (Kamelot)

---- “Regardless of attitudes or rumors, Kevin had a voice you either loved or hated. But there is no denying that his voice helped to pave the way for ‘80's metal. Personally, I loved the guy as a vocalist and performer. I thought he had a great voice and tons of energy. He always seemed on top of his game when performing. He will be sadly missed by millions.” Jaime Vendera (Vocal coach/The Voice Connection)

---- “We toured with Kevin and Quiet Riot in the summer of 1984 on our Walking the Razor's Edge CD. Also on the tour was Whitesnake. My favorite memory of Kevin, however, was two summers ago when we met up at a festival where Helix and Quiet Riot were on the same bill. Together with Frankie we reminisced about that tour back in '84 and expressed the desire to hook up again somewhere down the road. Luckily I filmed some of our encounter on my Sony movie camera as sadly we'll never get the chance to be on the same bill again. On behalf of Helix and myself I would like to express my deepest sympathies to the Kevin’s family.” Brian Vollmer (Helix)

---- “Sadly I never got to meet Kevin. Metal Health came out when I was in high school and it was an incredibly influential album. Every band I auditioned for was playing at least one song off of Metal Health. People forget that Quiet Riot kicked off the whole LA metal scene, starting a signing craze for bands like Motley Crue, Ratt, WASP, Dokken ... literally hundreds if not thousands of bands that came out of that scene. Soon bands started moving to Los Angeles just to ride the wave that QR helped to kick off. Their first single “Cum on Feel the Noize” was such a surprise hit, it wasn't even available in stores as a single until months after the song broke. This forced people to purchase the full album, making Metal Health the first metal album to climb that charts. They created a sound that no one had heard on radio up till that point — and they built on this by becoming the first metal band to headline an arena tour solely on the strength of a debut album. Kevin accomplished a lot for the metal scene, and his passing is a loss to us all.” Eric Ragno (Vox Tempus, Ted Poley, Steve Grimmet, David Readman, American Angel, etc.)

---- “I was very saddened to hear of the passing of a great Rock Singer and Front Man, and one who had stamped his mark forever in the books of Rock History. Kevin DuBrow will be missed by all of his fans, friends, and family.

I remember seeing Quiet Riot for the first time at "The Fleetwood" in Redondo Beach, Calif. in 1976 with Kevin, Frankie, Rudy, and Randy. Great line up, but then again all the QR lineups have been great and strong as ever throughout the years. I saw Quiet Riot in all their splendor & hoopla from the headlining Metal Health tour during the "Bang Your Head" days, all the way up to Rock Never Stops Tour 2005. Kevin always gave it his all, and I always believed it! I recently heard through a source that the band was really doing well this year from touring and that the sky was the limit.

I ran into Kevin and got to talk to him at PINK'S in Las Vegas a few years back when it was open for business; he could be a bit intimidating if you didn't actually know him, but as soon as I broke the ice and told him what a big fan I was he was a very friendly guy, and appreciative. Long Live Quiet Riot and Kevin DuBrow's Legacy!” Jesse Damon (Silent Rage)

YouTube Quiet Riot w/ the late Randy Rhoads

---- “I played with Kevin at the Monterrey Metal Fest and sat next to him for the press conference. He was very cool and we were joking at the press meeting how Frankie Banelli was the only one who really spoke Spanish and was just rolling with the reporters. A lot of the other bands did not show up for it but those of us who were there really put on a show for them. He was always seemingly very upbeat and excited throughout the entire event. I spoke with reporters at the gathering, publicly acknowledging Quiet Riot's contribution to metal and looked at him in the eyes thanking the band for having us play with them. I told him it was an honor and he was genuinely stoked for the praise. I made some jokes in Spanish and told them all we were going to kick ass and everyone laughed. Kevin pulled me aside and told me ‘Good job in there,’ which was cool. He told me how they had played in Mexico several times before and were big there. Judging by the 10,000 plus people that night, he was right. They absolutely crushed that night and he had the crowd really going off. It was definitely one of his shining moments as we were all on the stage behind him watching this arena metal performance for the ages. That night it was CAGE, DIO, QUIET RIOT, DOKKEN, TWISTED SISTER and HATEBREED.” Sean Peck (Cage)

---- “If it wasn’t for Quiet Riot, I probably never would have started listening to metal in the first place. Hearing them on the radio and seeing them on MTV as a teenager opened up my ears and forced me to recognize not only their groundbreaking movement, but to understand I found the exact kind of music that still has me addicted to it decades later. Unfortunately, I never met or interviewed Kevin, but Quiet Riot came through my home town in 2005 and ripped Sioux Falls a new hole. The industry is bereft without his voice.” Derric Miller (Hardrock Haven)

---- “I was stunned and saddened by the news of Kevin DuBrow’s premature passing. I will always be thankful not only for the road he paved for all bands that followed in the wake of Metal Health’s success, but for being able to call him one of my best friends from ‘back in the day’.

When KEEL was the opening act on QR’s 1986 tour, Kevin treated us, and me, extremely well – upon occasion, he invited me to ride with him in their tour bus to the next town and we’d room together, singing and partying. In 1989 he made a guest appearance on our “Larger Than Live” album, singing on our cover of Humble Pie’s “Fool For A Pretty Face” – our vocal back-and-forth at the end of the tune (along with Jamie St. James) is one of the highlights of that disc.

I’m glad I got to see Quiet Riot live several times these past few years, including a gig where I was once again their opening act in Pittsburgh last year. Kevin’s voice and stage presence were as strong as ever, and with many of our contemporaries no longer able to deliver vocally it was great to see and hear a guy who’d been doing it longer than any of us still able to belt it out and hit the high notes.

Never once in all these years did he fail to have a smile and a hug for me, and we last spoke a couple of months ago. He hooked me up with tickets for their show with Vince Neil in Las Vegas and we made dinner plans that will now remain unfulfilled.

Kevin’s music left a mark on modern culture, and his passing will leave a mark deep inside me. He will be missed. My condolences to all of his other friends and members of his family who have suffered this loss." Ron Keel (Keel, Iron Horse)

YouTube Kevin DuBrow Tribute Video

--- "I can remember the first time I heard "Come On Feel The Noise." I had been listening to hard rock for most of my life, but there was something about Kevin DuBrow's voice and the pounding rhythm of Quiet Riot that made my sense of hearing perk up a notch, and instinctively I reached for the volume knob, and I just couldn't turn it up loud enough. Here was a style of music that made sense. A style that filled a musical void that finally played the kind of music I could relate to, and I dove into it head first. From that moment on, from the time the musical airwaves first latched on to the gravelly, smokey, bar room kind of voice that was all Kevin DuBrow, the floodgates were opened, and a new musical genre was born. Call it hair metal, pop metal or what have you, for what you call it doesn't matter. What does matter is the fact that Kevin Dubrow and the boys of Quiet Riot started it all. And I just couldn't get enough of it. And I owe it all to Kevin DuBrow who refused to quit, even after years of rejection from labels and band members alike. Kevin, your music touched my life in a way that no other kind of music ever has, so thank you. May you rest in forever peace ... " Franco Wissa (Hardrock Haven)

YouTube Kevin DuBrow Tribute Video

--- "I didn’t know Kevin well. I only had the opportunity to talk with him a few times, but my first meeting had a profound effect on me. We were booked on the same bill in the late 90’s. It was one of those disastrously mishandled and poorly promoted shows that we’ve all been involved with at some point in our careers.

The show was originally to be held in a warehouse in a run down area of town rented by the promoter for the event. My band showed up for sound check to find that the fire marshal wouldn’t allow the building to be used, so the promoter had set up the staging in a vacant lot next door. It was within a few yards of a freeway and an underpass where a group of homeless men were congregating.

As it turned out, only about 20 or so people showed up for the gig. I assumed that the Quiet Riot guys were going to take one look at the situation and turn around to go back to their hotel. I was pleasantly surprised to see them take the stage anyway and proceed to rock the hell out of the 20 or so ticket holders and the hand full of homeless folks gathered nearby.

I recall Kevin saying something about it reminding him of the backyard keg parties they’d played back in the day. Through it all he was incredibly engaging and treated the small crowd as if they were a packed arena. He took what could have been a bad situation and made the best of it.

I recall leaving and thinking that the small crowd that was there had just been treated to an intimate and truly special show that they would probably remember forever. He was a consummate professional through and through. That ethic had a profound effect on me, and it’s something I’ve tried to emulate with my own career. Rest in peace Kevin. You were an inspiration and a true original. You will be sorely missed." Trey Gadler (Azrael’s Bane)

--- "I first discovered Kevin DuBrows talents through my influence of Randy Rhoads. Thanks for many years of sharing your music with us Kevin. The riot you made for all of us to enjoy was far more than quiet. My sincere condolences to all of his family and close friends." George Bellas (solo, Palace Terrace)

--- "I was helping this company with connections to getting Rockstars to attend their awards show in Los Angeles. I had Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot's phone number and I told him about the show and who was involved. Long story short, Frankie gave me Kevin's number and we ended up talking about the show because the company had this segment about Randy Rhoads. Kevin just loved Randy so much. He talked to me for like 30 minutes! Kevin told me so many great stories about Randy. I realized that Kevin was such a nice guy and had such passion about Randy and being his friend. That phone conversation was so killer! He was a great singer and performer! He was really funny too. Kevin was "Bang Yer Head" and no one can change that! R.I.P." Markus Allen Christopher (Miss Crazy)