Peter Steele

Peter Thomas Ratajczyk[4] (January 4, 1962 – April 14, 2010), known professionally as Peter Steele, was an American musician. He was best known as the lead vocalist, bassist and composer of the gothic metal band Type O Negative.[5] Before forming Type O Negative, Steele had created the heavy metal group Fallout and the thrash metal band Carnivore.[6]

As the frontman for Type O Negative, Steele was known for his vampiric appearance,[7][8] 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) stature,[9] rich bass vocals,[10][11][12] and a dark, often self-deprecating sense of humor.[13][14] His lyrics have been described as "often intensely personal, dealing with subjects including love, loss and addiction."[13] Steele credited Black Sabbath and the Beatles as his key musical influences. He has been listed among the "66 Best Hard Rock and Metal Frontmen of All Time" by Loudwire.[5] Following the success of Bloody Kisses, Steele began to receive attention outside of music. He appeared as a nude centerfold of Playgirl in 1995.[54] Steele later found out via bandmate Kenny Hickey's contacts that only 23% of the magazine subscribers were female,[55] and after being asked by men to sign copies of the magazine, Steele somewhat regretted the decision: "After I did it, I thought, 'Oh my God, what did I do?' It was more than upsetting that so many guys had it. Girls, OK, but there just seemed to be at least as many guys. Not that I'm homophobic, but it was certainly irritating."[41] In a 2007 interview, Steele reflected on the posing as merely a naive publicity stunt.[56] Steele stood 6' 8" (203 cm) tall,[9] giving him a menacing stage appearance. Despite that perception, Steele admitted to suffering from stage fright, which he overcame by drinking alcohol before shows, and by drinking red wine when on stage.[45][46] He was also described as a person who was "friendly, funny and had a reputation for being generous to his longtime bandmates ... and kind to the bands he toured with."[26] In his autobiography Iron Man, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi described his shock at Steele's death, adding, "Peter was a big, tall, and very, very nice guy."[60]

Outside of music, Steele spent time lifting weights both at home and on his tour bus.[20][61][62] Steele also enjoyed reading books on the subject of science[20][61] and he had an interest in European culture.[24][46] Steele liked working on his house[20][21] and was interested in architecture and civil engineering.[15][21] Steele also worked on his cars,[20] including a heavily modified 1985 Pontiac Grand Prix he customized himself.[63] Steele had a love for cats[64] and kept several as pets.[15][45] In the booklet for the 2009 "Top Shelf" edition re-release of Bloody Kisses, Steele confirmed that the album's dirge-like 11-minute title track had in fact been written about the death of a family cat called Venus he had owned for 17 years.[65][66]