Tony Richards was one of the founding members of the rock band W.A.S.P. and was announced to have died, per a social media post on Wednesday, Nov. 11.
Band leader Blackie Lawless announced the news of the drummer’s death on their official social media page. There were no details about Richards’ cause of death. They posted that they are “deeply saddened” to have heard about the passing of their bandmate.
“When the band was first started we were 4 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,” said Lawless.
“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 ends the post by saying that Richards will forever be missed and sends their deepest condolences to his family.
Alongside Lawless, former W.A.S.P. guitarist Christopher Holmes also shared his heartbreak over learning of the death of his former bandmate. He posted a throwback photo of the drummer on Instagram, saying “goodbye” to his friend and one of the “nicest fellas you could know.”
The post revealed that Holmes was talking regularly with the drummer before his passing and shared “some great stories.” Holmes’ wife posted that “he deserved not to be forgotten along with what he brought to this industry,” and sent her condolences to his brother John.
Richards was a member of W.A.S.P. from 1982 until 1984, and played on the band’s debut self-titled album that was released in August of ’84. The drummer had a short-lived career with the band, as it was reported that he was fired at the start of their tour to promote the album. He was replaced by Steve Riley.
Richards is notably the third former drummer of W.A.S.P. to have died, following Frankie Banali in 2020 and Riley in 2023.
Lawless once spoke about his regret over Richards leaving the band, saying, “we were not the same band anymore. We knew it. In the early days, we promoted ourselves as a band, and we thought when Tony was gone, we didn’t have that strength anymore.”
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