According to the Swiss daily newspaper Blick, vocalist Steve Lee of Swiss hard rock veterans GOTTHARD was killed in a motorcycle accident in Nevada. He was 47 years old.
Lee died after being clipped a semitrailer, Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Joe Fackrell said, according to KVVU-TV.
Fackrell said a group of motorcyclists had stopped on the side of northbound Interstate 15, about 50 miles north of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Lee died at the scene, Fackrell said.
An official statement on the matter from the band’s management and record company is expected later today.
It was only two months ago that Lee was involved in “a horrible car crash” in Italy while he was “on [his] way home from a little vacation.” He said of the August 7 incident, “A car crashed into us on the motorway near Firenze, and it involved six other cars. As cars were slowing down, the person in the car behind us didn’t notice that, and crashed into our car. Despite the accident, I want you all to know that I am OK. I guess I must have a ‘rock-loving’ guardian angel.”
GOTTHARD’s latest album, “Need To Believe”, was certified platinum in the band’s home country for sales in excess of 30,000 copies.