Tony Costanza, former drummer for Machine Head and Crowbar, has died at age 52. The news was broken by his ex-Crisis bandmate Afzaal Nasiruddeen.
Costanza began his career with the band Papsmear, providing vocals for two demos in the 1980s. In 1991, he joined Machine Head as the original drummer, coming up with ideas for the band’s debut, Burn My Eyes, before leaving in 1992. By 2001, he was drumming for Crowbar, but left the band in 2004.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I have to accept and inform everyone concerned that I lost my brother, band mate, home boy and family today,” Nasiruddeen writes. “Tony Costanza was one of a kind. A man with a huge heart, love and loyalty for the ones close to him. I cannot relate to this reality of loss yet. I know he had a lot of admirers, and I was one of his biggest. He would have literally taken a bullet for me. That’s the kind of gangster brother he was.”
“Tony died in his sleep this morning so I am sure he was at peace and in no pain. I wish his Mother all the strength she can muster as she will need every ounce of it. I will be starting a GoFundMe page for her and Tony‘s funeral expenses. Please help if you knew him and care. Please hold your loved ones close as the sense of loss is insurmountable sometimes.”
“Tony my friend, I will love you and cherish our memories together, forever. Hope you are in a better pace now. Rest In Peace.” [via PRP]
A link for the GoFundMe page has not yet been made public, but we encourage fans to keep an eye out for the page in the coming days.
Rockers We’ve Lost in 2020