The Rascals drummer Dino Danelli has died aged 78

The Rascals drummer and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame member Dino Danelli has died aged 78.

The news was broken by Rascals guitarist Gene Cornish, who told People:  “It is with a broken heart that I must tell you of the passing of Dino Danelli.

“He was my brother and the greatest drummer I’ve ever seen. I am devastated at this moment. Rest in Peace Dino I love you brother.”

Danelli’s friend and band archivist Joe Russo shared the news on the drummer’s official Facebook page, sharing an extensive message about his health issues and “primary challenges” of coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure.

“To know Dino, you must understand that art was his life,” Russo wrote. “Art, music and film consumed his mind and his heart. He was an insomniac, sometimes staying awake for days, because he was always writing, reading, painting, drawing, watching films. He was beyond private and for someone who many consider one of the greatest drummers of all time, humble to a fault.”

Detailing a number of illnesses since 2017, Russo detailed how Danelli ended up in a rehab centre at the start of 2022, “where his condition incrementally grew worse. He’d spend every day there until his passing. According to my conversation with his doctor, the primary cause of death was coronary artery disease. He was also having another bout with congestive heart failure, but there were many other conditions as well. He had already required an angioplasty over a decade earlier.”

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Danelli formed the band – first called The Young Rascals – in 1965 with Gene Cornish, Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati. After breaking up in 1972, they reunited periodically until 2012, when they hosted a year-long reunion.