A.J. Pero, the drummer of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister, died on Friday (29th March). He was 55 and reports suggest he suffered a heart attack. Pero was reportedly touring with the band Adrenaline Mob, in which he was also a drummer, at the time of his death. Twisted Sister announced the news of Pero's death on Facebook.

A.J. Pero
Drummer A.J. Pero has died at the age of 55.

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Pero was reportedly on the Adrenaline Mob tour bus on Friday morning when members of the band failed to wake him. An ambulance was called and Pero was taken to a Poughkeepsie hospital. He was declared dead at 11am, according to reports in Fox. 

The news of Pero's death was announced on Twisted Sister's Facebook page: 'The members of Twisted Sister are profoundly saddened to announce the untimely passing of our brother, AJ Pero. The band, crew and most importantly the family of AJ Pero thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time.'

Members of the band - Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Dee Snider, Mark Mendoza - also paid tribute to Pero via social media. 

"AJ Pero was a force, the likes of which I doubt I will ever have the chance to play in front of again. His drumming was legendary but his heart, as a human being, was even greater," French wrote on Facebook. 

"A.J. was a dear friend and brother to me, and in my opinion, one of the most talented drummers of all time," Ojeda said. 

Snider described Pero as his "friend" and "brother", whilst writing on Twitter. "My heart is broken," he added. 

Mendoza summed up his feelings with a simple statement: "AJ was my band mate, my friend and my brother and I will miss him forever".

Pero was born in Staten Island, New York in 1959. He joined Twisted Sister in 1981, shortly before the band became well-known in the heavy metal music scene. He left the band in 1986 in order to re-join his former band, Cities. He re-joined Twisted Sister in 1997 for their reunion and was with the band until his death. 

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