Blackie Onassis, former drummer of Urge Overkill, has died, the band announced on their social media channels on Wednesday (June 14). He turned 57 years old. A post on Instagram says:
“Urge Overkill is saddened that Blackie passed away. Please respect our privacy during this time. We send lots of love to his family and all his fans. We know he will be missed.” The cause of death was not disclosed.
In the comments there are numerous expressions of condolence for the death of the musician. “Too old to cry, too young to die…” reads one comment. “His drumming was distinctive, and part of why SSS, Saturation and ETD were so special… RIP Blackie,” it adds. And in response: “One of the most unique drummers in rock. I was/am always amazed at his ability to chill when you think there’s a fill, and then pull off a crazy fill when you think the drummer is chilling. A true creative.”
Jack Black mourns Blackie Onassis
In a second post, the band thanked their fans for their “love and support” following the news and shared a recent photo of Rowan with actor/musician Jack Black. “Thank you for the love and support today. We wanted to share this photo of Blackie with you guys, we hope you like it as much as we do.” Jack Black mourns the loss of his friend, saying: “I loved Blackie. Supersonic Storybook. satisfaction Exit the Dragon. Some of my favorite albums of all time! He was a joker and a force of nature. I will miss him.”
“Blackie,” as he was jokingly nicknamed by his bandmates, was actually John “Johnny” Rowan. He was the (former) drummer for Urge Overkill and joined in 1991, five years after the band’s formation. He replaces drummer Jack Watt at the time. In the same year he recorded the third studio album “The Supersonic Storybook” with the group. In 1992, Urge Overkill supported Nirvana on their tour for Nevermind.
The Pulp Fiction Soundtrack and “Exit the Dragon”
Rowan drummed on arguably their biggest hit, “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon.” Neil Diamond’s cover song was made famous by the cult film “Pulp Fiction”. It was released in 1994 on the accompanying soundtrack. Quentin Tarantino chose the song as film music for his cinema success. The title made the top 50 spots on the Billboard Top 100.
In 1995 the album “Exit the Dragon” was released. According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, Rowan was arrested for heroin possession shortly after the release of Exit the Dragon. He left the group and lost contact with his bandmates in the years that followed. Due to drug and alcohol problems and the lack of success, Urge Overkill officially split up in 1996.
Frontman Nash Kato then tried his hand as a solo artist. John Rowan later reunited with Nash Kato for his solo project, writing six songs for his former bandmate. These appeared on his solo album Debutante in 2000.
In 2004 Urge Overkill re-formed. However, Rowan did not want to be part of this reunion and was replaced by drummer Bon Quest. The ex-drummer passed away on June 13th. Nothing is known about the circumstances of his death.
30 Years of “Saturation” and “Sister Havana”
Just a few days ago, Urge Overkill celebrated the 30th anniversary of their album “Saturation”. It was the US rockers’ fourth studio album and was released on June 8, 1993. In addition to the drums, Blackie also took on the vocals on the ninth track of the album “Dropout”. The most successful song from “Saturation” was “Sister Havana”. In the music video for “Sister Havana” we see Blackie on drums.