Trans-Siberian Orchestra Founder Paul O'Neill Dies at 61
by Ariana Bacle
April 6, 2017


Trans-Siberian Orchestra founder Paul O’Neill has died from a chronic illness, the band announced on their official Facebook page Wednesday. He was 61.

“He was our friend and our leader — a truly creative spirit and an altruistic soul,” they wrote. “This is a profound and indescribable loss for us all.”



O’Neill got his start co-producing Aerosmith’s two Classics live albums in the late ’80s and went on to form a relationship with metal band Savatage. He later recruited members from that group, Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli, to help form Trans-Siberian Orchestra in 1996.

That year, they released Christmas Eve and Other Stories, a holiday-themed rock record and the first in their Christmas trilogy, which included the seminal classic “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24.”



Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s most recent album was 2015’s Letters from the Labyrinth, which peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

http://ew.com/music/2017/04/06/paul-oneill-dead-trans-siberian-orchestra-dies/

And the 2017 rock and roll obituary begins to climb.... :(

I knew that TSO was tied into the band Savatage. They always had that cool take on Christmas-themed metal. I remember the non-Christmas-themed song they did about a year ago that had some airplay (and now I can't remember the title...).

:rip:

I'm sad to hear this. :( I love their Christmas music.