Urge Overkill drummer John Rowan, who performed under the stage name Blackie Onassis, has died, the band confirmed in a statement on their Instagram account. “Urge Overkill is saddened to report that Blackie has passed away,” the post reads. “Please respect our privacy at this time. We are sending much love to his family and all his fans. We know he will be missed.” Rowan’s cause of death has not been revealed.
Emerging from Chicago in the mid-’80s, Urge Overkill released their debut album Jesus Urge Superstar—produced by pal Steve Albini—in 1989, followed by Americruiser in 1990. In addition to founding members Nash Kato (vocals/guitar) and Eddie “King” Roeser (vocals/guitar/bass), Jesus Urge Superstar featured drummer Kriss Bataille, while Jack “Jaguar” Watt handled percussion on Americruiser.
Rowan joined the band in time for their third full-length, 1991’s The Supersonic Storybook, which includes the track “Today Is Blackie’s Birthday”—a sort of informal introduction to their new bandmate. In 1992, Urge Overkill released their six-song Stull EP, which features a cover of Neil Diamond’s Western-tinged 1967 ballad “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon.” In just two year’s time, Urge Overkill’s rendition became a piece of cinema history when Quentin Tarantino synched it with Mia Wallace’s drug overdose scene in Pulp Fiction.
Rowan remained in Urge Overkill until the mid-’90s, playing on 1993’s Saturation and Exit the Dragon, which landed in 1995. The latter was the group’s last album for roughly 15 years. During their ’90s prime, the band supported Nirvana on their Nevermind tour, and secured an alt-rock hit with their Saturation cut “Sister Havana.”
According to a report by The Los Angeles Times, Rowan was arrested for heroin possession not long after Urge Overkill released Exit the Dragon. He left the band in 1996, and subsequently lost touch with his bandmates over the ensuing years. Urge Overkill reformed without Rowan in the early 2000s, issuing Rock & Roll Submarine in 2011 and Oui just last year.