On April 17 of 2019, Banali was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which had spread to his liver, and given six months to live. He kept the news quiet until October and was candid about his prognosis in interviews.

 

The news of his passing came via a statement from Banali's wife, Regina, who, in part, said, "He put up an inspiringly brave and courageous 16-month battle to the end and continued playing live as long as he could. Standard chemotherapy stopped working and a series of strokes made the continuation on a clinical trial impossible. He ultimately lost the fight at 7:18PM on August 20th in Los Angeles surrounded by his wife and daughter."

 

Although not a founding member of QUIET RIOT (Banali didn't debut with the band until the release of their third album, 1983's mega-hit Metal Health), the drummer remained an enduring presence within the lineup. Despite exiting the group on multiple occasions, he performed on every QUIET RIOT studio album since Metal Health (the first metal album to ever hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200), contributing to a total of 12 of the group's records.

 

Banali also enjoyed brief stints in W.A.S.P., playing drums on seven albums, including the standout efforts The Headless Children (1989) and The Crimson Idol (1992).