Dee Snider has defended his comments that late Twisted Sister drummer AJ Pero was “irresponsible” for not getting his heart checked out.
The singer said in April – a month after the drummer passed away from a heart attack while on tour with Adrenaline Mob – that he was “angry” with Pero for not taking his family’s history of heart problems seriously.
After a backlash from fans, Snider has talked about the furore on an episode of his Snider Comments podcast.
He says (via Blabbermouth): “The fact of the matter is, it was the truth. And there was quite a bit of a reaction on social media, like, ‘Dee Snider bashes his drummer.’ The word ‘bash’ and ‘attack.’ And the first thing I said was, ‘I love the guy.’ And why would anybody be upset with someone doing what AJ did unless they cared about them deeply and loved them deeply?
“People die every day, and I don’t go as far as to speak out about the way they chose to go. You know, I spoke out about AJ because I’m hurt, and his family is hurt, and world he left behind is in complete turmoil as a result of it.”
He continues: “So here I had an opportunity to remind people that, hey, heart disease is just that — it’s a disease. Don’t put your head in the sand and don’t pretend that there’s no problem when you know your whole family has a history of any sickness — of cancer, of heart disease, of prostate problems. I mean, everybody should get checked out, but especially if you’re genetically predisposed.”
Pero’s own father died from heart-related illness in his 50s.
Twisted Sister have a number of live dates lined up for this year, with Mike Portnoy filling in on drums. They will go on a farewell tour next year.
TWISTED SISTER TOUR DATES 2015
Jun 27: Topfest, Slovakia
Jun 28: Kavarna Soccer Stadium, Bulgaria
Jul 02: Toreboda Festival, Sweden
Jul 24: Barcelona Rock Fest, Spain
Sep 12: Hinckley Grand RockTember Festival, MN
