Ross ‘The Boss’ Friedman, former guitarist for MANOWAR and THE DICTATORS, has died at the age of 72.
The news was confirmed in a statement shared by the Metal Hall of Fame on Friday (March 27) afternoon.
Back in February it was reported that Friedman has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neurodegenerative disease that destroys motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, causing muscle weakness, paralysis, and loss of voluntary muscle control.
Ross recorded six albums with MANOWAR before leaving after 1988’s ‘Kings Of Metal’. His work with MANOWAR included such classic LPs as 1982’s ‘Battle Hymns’, 1983’s ‘Into Glory Ride’ and 1984’s ‘Hail To England’.
Ross was one of the pioneers of both punk rock and heavy metal. First crashing on the scene with THE DICTATORS and with such classic albums as 1975’s ‘Go Girl Crazy!’, 1977’s ‘Manifest Destiny’ and 1978’s ‘Bloodbrothers’, Ross helped trailblaze punk rock (just to put it all in perspective, ‘Go Girl Crazy!’ arrived a full year before the RAMONES‘ debut, and two years before THE CLASH‘s and SEX PISTOLS‘ debuts). By the end of the ’80s, Ross had reconnected with his DICTATORS bandmates in MANITOBA’S WILD KINGDOM, which served as a bridge between his love of punk and metal, as heard on the group’s popular 1990 debut, ‘…And You?’ Throughout the remainder of the decade, Ross also played with such groups as THE HELLACOPTERS and THE SPINATRAS, before THE DICTATORS reunited, which resulted in several new releases starting from the late ’90s all the way through the early 21st century. Also around this time, Ross joined forces with former of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT drummer Albert Bouchard in the band BRAIN SURGEONS. With Ross‘s main focus turning to metal music at this time, two additional projects were launched — DEATH DEALER and his solo outfit, ROSS THE BOSS.