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Original Singer: Syd Barrett Reason for Departure: Barrett's mental state rapidly deteriorated following the release of Pink Floyd's debut album, the mesmerizing "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," and by the end of the subsequent tour he was nearly catatonic onstage. The Replacement: David Gilmour David Gilmour was added as a fifth member while Barrett was still in the band. Following the singer's dismissal, Gilmour was slotted as the new frontman, while Roger Waters took over primary songwriting duties. The band emerged virtually unscathed, especially in America, where it had yet to truly establish a following. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Keystone Features, Getty Images; Gareth Cattermole, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Rock's Best & Wo...Whether through tragedy, scandal or infighting, some of rock and roll’s biggest bands lost their frontmen at the height of their fame. Here we take a look at the intrepid souls who tried to fill those awfully big shoes. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Getty Images except for Morrison: AP Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
INXSOriginal Singer: Michael Hutchence Reason for Departure: Hutchence died in 1997 of an apparent suicide. The Replacements: Jon Stevens, J.D. Fortune, Ciaran Gribbin Following Hutchence's tragic death, INXS floundered through a series of replacement singers until the advent of "Rock Star: INXS," a reality TV competition in which 15 aspiring rockers vied for the position of frontman. The show's eventual winner, J.D. Fortune (above right), initially seemed a like a great fit, and INXS 2.0 notched a Top 40 with their first single. Things soon went sour, however, and the band ended up firing Fortune … twice. In late September, INXS introduced its new frontman, Snow Patrol and Paul McCartney collaborator Ciaran Gribbin. The Irish singer, who reportedly met keyboardist Andrew Farriss at a party, will make his debut with the band during a tour in November. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Fabrice Coffrini, AP Images; Ian Walton, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Judas PriestOriginal Singer: Rob Halford Reason for Departure: Halford split in 1992 after years of tension to form thrash metal band Fight. The Replacement: Tim "Ripper" Owens After a few years of dormancy following Halford's departure, the band returned in 1996 fronted by "Ripper" Owens, a superfan who previously performed in a Priest tribute band. His story was (loosely) portrayed in the Mark Wahlberg film "Rock Star." The band has since reunited with Halford and, fresh off a performance on the "American Idol" finale, is prepping for a new album in 2012. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Jo Hale, Getty Images; Scott Harrison, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Van HalenOriginal Singer: David Lee Roth Reason for Departure: Who knows? Each band member seems to have a different version of what led to Roth's departure following the band's aptly titled 1984 blockbuster, "1984." Some say drugs, some say bad behavior, some say control issues. The truth is probably some combination of all of the above. The Replacements: Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone The band experiences a commercial boom in the post-Roth era. Van Hagar notched four No. 1 albums and a Grammy before Sammy Hagar was fired and/or quit. Reunions with both Hagar and Roth followed, punctuated by a train wreck of an album with ex-Extreme singer Gary Cherone. In September of this year, rumors once again began circulating of the first Roth-fronted Van Halen album in 25 years. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Matthew Peyton, Getty Images; Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
AC/DCOriginal Singer: Bon Scott Reason for Departure: Scott died in 1980 of acute alcohol poisoning and "death by misadventure," although conspiracy theories abound, including the popular beliefs that Scott died of a heroin overdose, asphyxiation from exhaust fumes (he was left in a car overnight) or asthma. The Replacement: Brian Johnson Following the loss of their frontman, the surviving members of AC/DC reached out to a singer Scott had often spoken of in admiration, English metal singer Brian Johnson. Once Johnson was officially hired on, the band finished the album that had already been in progress at the time of Scott's death – "Back in Black," which would go on to become the second best-selling album of all time. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Ennio Leanza, AP Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
JourneyOriginal Singer: Steve Perry Reason for Departure: Perry fronted the band during its salad days in the '80s and early '90s, and then again during a reunion stint in the mid '90s, but was fired after a hip injury prevented him from touring. The Replacements: Steve Augeri, Jeff Scott Soto, Arnel Pineda Journey replaced Perry with Steve Augeri in 1998, but fired him in 2006 for chronic throat infection. Augeri was succeeded by Jeff Scott Soto. He lasted less than a year. Eventually, the band settled on Filipino singer Arnel Pineda (above right), whom guitarist Neal Schon discovered singing covers of Journey songs on YouTube. The new version of Journey has released two albums, although the members are wisely keeping one foot planted in their lucrative past. A greatest hits collection curated by Steve Perry is due in November. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Evan Agostini, Getty Images; Mike Coppola, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
GenesisOriginal Singer: Peter Gabriel Reason for Departure: Gabriel announced his departure in the middle of the prog-rock band's tour for its crowning achievement, "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway," citing tensions within the band and strains in his personal life. The Replacements: Phil Collins, Ray Wilson Following Gabriel's departure, the band reportedly auditioned 400 singers. Satisfied with none of them, Genesis chose one of its own as its new frontman: drummer Phil Collins. A much more polished, pop-leaning sound followed, as did millions in album sales. When Collins left the band in 1996, the remaining members briefly recruited Stiltskin singer Ray Wilson for its final (and ill-fated) album. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Graham Wood, Getty Images; Dave Hogan, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Pink FloydOriginal Singer: Syd Barrett Reason for Departure: Barrett's mental state rapidly deteriorated following the release of Pink Floyd's debut album, the mesmerizing "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," and by the end of the subsequent tour he was nearly catatonic onstage. The Replacement: David Gilmour David Gilmour was added as a fifth member while Barrett was still in the band. Following the singer's dismissal, Gilmour was slotted as the new frontman, while Roger Waters took over primary songwriting duties. The band emerged virtually unscathed, especially in America, where it had yet to truly establish a following. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Keystone Features, Getty Images; Gareth Cattermole, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Lynyrd SkynyrdOriginal Singer: Ronnie Van Zant Reason for Departure: Van Zant was killed in a plane crash in 1977 along with fellow Skynyrd members Steve and Cassie Gaines, a road manager and two pilots. The Replacement: Johnny Van Zant After disbanding for a decade, Skynyrd reunited in 1987 with a familiar-looking and -sounding replacement singer: Ronnie Van Zant's younger brother, Johnny. The band soldiers on today, although only guitarist Gary Rossington remains from the original lineup. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Hulton Archive, Getty Images; Rusty Russell, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
SublimeOriginal Singer: Brad Nowell Reason for Departure: Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, two months prior to the release of the band’s major label debut. The self-titled album went five-times platinum on the strength of hit songs like "What I Got" and "Santeria." The Replacement: Rome Ramirez Following Nowell's death, the surviving members tried to capitalize on their newfound fame with a series of same-sounding projects, the most successful of which was Long Beach Dub Allstars. In 2009, they reunited as Sublime with 20-year-old fan Rome Ramirez as their new frontman. A lawsuit from Nowell's estate led to a subtle name change; the trio now performs as Sublime with Rome. —Jeff Royer (Photos: MCA Records; Christopher Polk, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
BostonOriginal Singer: Brad Delp Reason for Departure: Delp took his own life in 2007. The Replacements: Michael Sweet, Tommy DeCarlo Following Delp's death, Boston mastermind Tom Scholz recruited two singers – former Stryper frontman Michael Sweet (above middle) and a longtime fan named Tommy DeCarlo (above right). By 2011, Sweet was lured back to Stryper's "yellow and black attack," leaving DeCarlo with the sole honors. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Epic Records; Neilson Barnard, Getty Images; bandboston.com)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Mötley CrüeOriginal Singer: Vince Neil Reason for Departure: Neil left the band in 1992 after quitting or being fired, depending on which version of the story you want to believe. The Replacement: John Corabi Resolved to carry on despite the radically changing musical climate, the remaining members recruited John Corabi, formerly of Angora and The Scream. Corabi sang on Mötley Crüe's self-titled 1994 album, but factors ranging from fan backlash to the advent of grunge led to disappointing sales. Neil was back by 1997. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Ethan Miller, Getty Images; Ethan Miller, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
The DoorsOriginal Singer: Jim Morrison Reason for Departure: Morrison was found dead in the bathtub of a Parisian apartment in 1971. While no cause of death was cited beyond heart failure, it is widely believed that heroin use played a role. The Replacements: Ian Astbury, Brett Scallions, Dave Brock Beginning in 2002, surviving members Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger began performing Doors songs under a variety of monikers, first as The Doors of the 21st Century with former Cult singer Ian Astbury (top right), and later as Riders on the Storm with, curiously enough, former Fuel singer Brett Scallions (bottom left). They currently perform as Manzarek-Krieger with vocals by Dave Brock (bottom right) of Doors tribute band Wild Child. —Jeff Royer (Photos: file photo, AP Images; Kevin Winter, Getty Images; Scott Gries, Getty Images; wildchild.mu)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
QueenOriginal Singer: Freddie Mercury Reason for Departure: Mercury died in 1991 of complications from AIDS. The Replacement: Paul Rodgers In 2004, Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor teamed up with Bad Company singer Paul Rodgers for what was billed as a supergroup, but what basically boiled down to a very qualified tribute act. After churning out the first Queen album in 15 years, "The Cosmos Rocks," the group disbanded in 2009, although rumors surfaced in 2011 of another reunion. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Dave Hogan, Getty Images; Gareth Davies, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
Black SabbathOriginal Singer: Ozzy Osbourne Reason for Departure: Ozzy was fired from the band in 1979 for heavy alcohol and cocaine use , which was excessive even by Black Sabbath standards. The Replacements: Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan, David Donato, Glenn Hughes, Ray Gillen, Tony Martin After Ozzy was canned, the band hired former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio (above right) at the suggestion of their manager’s daughter, Sharon Arden (later Sharon Osbourne). Dio split by 1982 to start his own band. A revolving door of vocalists followed, including Deep Purple's Ian Gillan. The members later reunited with both Osbourne and Dio (as Heaven & Hell). Dio died of stomach cancer in 2010. Rumors persist today of another reunion with Ozzy. —Jeff Royer (Photos: Dave Hogan, Getty Images; Charley Gallay, Getty Images)
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Comcast.
