Twisted Sister drummer dies of apparent heart attack at 55

Poughkeepsie: A J Pero, the drummer for the heavy-metal band Twisted Sister, died Friday. He was 55.

The band said Anthony Jude Pero died of an apparent heart attack while touring with Adrenaline Mob, a group with which he played in between engagements with Twisted Sister.

Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French said Pero was on a tour bus today morning when Adrenaline Mob band members tried unsuccessfully to awaken him, then called an ambulance. He was taken to a hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he was declared dead shortly after 11 AM.

"His drive was the heart and soul of the band's sound, the engine that drove us," French said. "We lost a friend and a legend."

Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider called Pero "the final piece in a band that would become an international sensation and one of the greatest live rock acts to ever hit the stage."