The singer western Pennsylvania knew by his first name alone took the stage for the last time seated in a chair, having come straight from a radiation treatment.
Drummer Joe Vitale Jr. announced the death of Donnie Iris, the singer known as King Cool who gave Pittsburgh “Ah! Leah!” and “Love Is Like a Rock,” in a Facebook post. He died Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, at the age of 83, after a three-year battle with bladder cancer.
“Tonight, I have some very sad news to share. Many of you may already know about this, but today my boss and friend Donnie Iris passed away at the age of 83,” Vitale wrote. He also wrote, “He always had an infectious smile, incredible energy and a wonderous personality.”
Rich Engler, a longtime concert promoter and friend, confirmed the death.
Iris had stepped away from performing only weeks earlier, in a retirement statement issued Oct. 9 that thanked his daughters, his family, his musicians, his crew and his fans. “It has been my great honor to make music for you,” he said. “The memories, the music, and the connections we have built together will always remain close to my heart.”
He Didn’t Like the Chair
Citizens Live at The Wylie, Pittsburgh’s newest concert venue, held its grand opening Sept. 28 in the city’s historic Hill District neighborhood, and Iris gave his final performance there. He had come from a radiation treatment that afternoon and sang from a chair.
Mark Avsec, Iris’ longtime keyboard player and best friend, said: “It was the first time on a chair, and he didn’t like that. But the poor guy, the cancer was spreading, and he was in pain, and he really wanted to do that show and be with the people.”
Marty Hoenes, the Cruisers guitarist from Erie, stood onstage with him that night. “He had the option of just saying ‘no, I can’t do it.’ But he just didn’t want to do that. He wanted to be with the people, and it was a great performance,” Hoenes said Tuesday, Oct. 27.
Bon Jovi as the Special Guest
Engler started working with Iris in 1966, producing at least 20 or 30 shows with the singer by his own count. One night stood out above the rest, Engler said, and he pulled out the poster to prove it: Donnie Iris and the Cruisers headlining, with special guest Bon Jovi.
Iris sang with a volume and a range the promoter could not come close to matching himself, Engler said, and the crowds stayed with him to the last. The people who worked with him and called him a friend describe no gap between the performer on stage and the man off it.
Dominic Ierace Became King Cool
Born Dominic Ierace, the Ellwood City native first found fame with the Jaggerz, whose “The Rapper” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. His solo career with his band the Cruisers, a lineup that included Erie, Pa., natives who helped fuel his rise, produced “Ah! Leah!,” a 1980 single that peaked at No. 29, and “Love Is Like a Rock” and “My Girl,” both charting in 1981. He also performed with Wild Cherry, the band behind “Play That Funky Music.”
That string of hits in the 1970s and ’80s built a national reputation. Still, the concert circuit covering the western half of the state and eastern Ohio claimed him as a fixture for six decades. Pittsburgh area residents needed no other name than “Donnie,” and western Pennsylvania treated him as a living legend. The city enshrined him in 2015 as a Pittsburgh Rock ’N Roll Legend, its equivalent of the Rock ’N Roll Hall of Fame. In the Beaver Valley, he belonged to a regular golf group at Beaver Valley Golf Club in Patterson Heights, Pa.
He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2023, the same year he turned 80, and returned to performing in 2024 after treatment. To mark his 80th birthday, he sang the national anthem before the Pittsburgh Penguins’ game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2023.
“Ah! Leah!” on the Drive Home
Fans and radio stations across the region have been spinning his biggest hits since word of the death spread. Michael Caponi, who grew up on those songs, said he planned to play “Ah! Leah!” for the entire drive home as his own tribute.
Musician Joe Grushecky, longtime leader of the Iron City Houserockers, said, “For my money, he was the most beloved Pittsburgh musician of all time,” adding, “I don’t know anyone who was loved more than Donnie. He just had that warmth about him, and it came through in his performance.” Musician Shari Richards called him a credit to Pittsburgh music. Engler put the loss simply: “his songs will live on forever.”
