Original W.A.S.P. Drummer Tony Richards Dies at 69

Founding W.A.S.P. drummer Tony Richards has died of unspecified causes at the age of 69.

After spending time in Dante Fox — a group that would later change their name to Great White — Richards joined W.A.S.P in 1982 and appeared on the band's self-titled 1984 debut album.

"Those were good times you know, when we were just getting to know each other and writing. It was exciting, seeing the other up-and-coming bands in the club," Richards later told Full in Bloom. "Once the business end came into it it was, 'Rush, rush, rush, hurry here, hurry there, sign this, sign that, you gotta be there yesterday,' you know? Things really started rolling along really fast."

Before the band went on tour in support of W.A.S.P., Richards was replaced by future L.A. Guns drummer Steve Riley, who performed on 1985's The Last Command and 1986's Inside the Electric Circus.

"The entire W.A.S.P. Camp are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our original drummer, Tony Richards," frontman Blackie Lawless announced on social media. "When the band was first started we were four extremely strong personalities. Tony was absolutely equal to any of the others that were in the band. His personality was infectious.

"He looked fantastic in photos. But his ability to play made him really who he was. To watch him play riveted you no matter where you were in the room. When he was gone from the Band we were wounded in a way that we never really quite recovered from. He was equally a part of that first album and when that record is heard to this day his personal stamp will forever be a part of the totality of that recording. He will forever be missed. We in the W.A.S.P. Camp would like to wish his family our deepest condolences."

A post on Chris Holmes' Instagram account also reflected on the loss and called Richards "my friend and one of the nicest fella[s] you could know."

Watch W.A.S.P. Perform 'I Wanna Be Somebody'