Michael Stanley Dead: hometown rock hero Cleveland was 72

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Michael Stanley, who rose to national fame for radio success in 1981 but was the epitome of rock ‘n roll for decades in the city of Cleveland, died Friday at the age of 72. The cause of death was lung cancer which had been diagnosed seven months. earlier.

Stanley’s illness became known when he took time off from his usual afternoon radio shift at 98.5 WNCX in Cleveland in late February and the station released a statement asking for prayers for his family.

In a letter posted on the radio station’s website on Saturday, Stanley wrote a farewell to fans: “Hey gang… well if you’re reading this I’m leaving to catch up on this big club tour in the sky. But before the bus leaves, I wanted to thank you all for taking part in my musical journey…. Someone once said that if you love your job, it’s not really work. And if that’s true (and I really think it is), I’ve happily been out of work for over 50 years! Sure, it would have been nice if it had all gone on a little longer, but my time on this deadly reel has been blessed with awesome family, friends and colleagues and you can’t ask for much more than that! … Take care of yourself and each other and remember, now more than ever: this is your world … take care! Peace.”

Joe Walsh, another rock hero from Cleveland – and a player on Stanley’s second album in the 1970s – paid tribute. “Michael was the King of Cleveland, and of course the Michael Stanley Band became a powerhouse of the Midwest,” Walsh said in a statement posted on Cleveland.com. “Michael has always been a master at the art of songwriting. His songs have a way of going into your head and have become songs that you end up singing to yourself over and over again from that point on… His music will always be a part of me.

Tweeted Paul Stanley of KISS: “RIP MICHAEL STANLEY… No relationship with me, was a Cleveland legend. A musician and songwriter who could race arenas. He then became a radio personality. Bright light and a warm soul. His letter to his fans before his death says it all. Such grace.

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Letter from Michael Stanley

Stanley began as a solo artist in 1973 with two albums in a more contemplative singer / songwriter vein before forming the Michael Stanley Band, whose 1975 debut on Epic Records, “You Break It … You Bought It “, introduced the more robust arena. – friendly hymns for which the group has become known. The MSB had its biggest national profile in 1980 when the single “He Can’t Love You” reached No. 33 on the Billboard 100. This song and a 1983 sequel, the Cleveland-inspired “My Town,” has also cracked the top 40, were the first staples of a fledgling MTV.

But before and after that, the band was disproportionately huge in Ohio and the surrounding states, which took their song “Midwest Midnight” (featured on the live album “Stage Pass”, with its famous low-cut cover) to heart. ) as a statement of regional pride. During their heyday of the late ’70s and early’ 80s, the Michael Stanley Band was selling multiple nights at the Richfield Coliseum and Blossom Music Center.

Most of Stanley and his band’s early records were produced by Bill Szymczyk, better known as producer of The Eagles. “Throughout his career, I’ve never been able to get him a monster success record – that has always pissed me off,” Szymczyk told the Plain Dealer. “I was like, ‘Damn, Bob (Seger) broke. How come we can’t have Michael too. It was huge in the Midwest – Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh. We just couldn’t get him out of there.

The Michael Stanley Band broke up in 1986, having crossed a succession of major labels including Epic, Arista and EMI America. (As a solo artist, Stanley recorded for MCA and Tumbleweed, and his first group, Silk, released an album for ABC in 1969, also produced by Szymczyk.) After the breakup, Stanley returned to solo albums and s ‘is also connected with groups. the Resonators and the Ghost Poets, releasing work on Razor & Tie or his own labels.

Stanley was a part of Cleveland’s iconography enough to appear as himself in “The Drew Carey Show”, which takes place in that city. But that was hardly the extent of his TV credits. The rocker was most recognized in the post-Michael Stanley Band years as a local television and radio broadcaster. He co-hosted “PM Magazine” on Cleveland Channel 8 from 1987 to 1990. He also spent a year on the same station’s “Cleveland Tonight”, with his television years earning him 11 local Emmys. After his television stint, he became an afternoon radio DJ from 1990 to February 2021, alongside occasional albums and local shows.

Greg Harris, president / CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, released a statement saying, “It is with a heavy heart that we share that Cleveland native son and local treasure Michael Stanley has passed away. Michael was our city’s most beloved musician, songwriter and rocker. Her heartfelt music resonated with legions of listeners, and her concerts set attendance records and assumed legendary proportions. Most importantly, Michael’s songs spoke to our hearts.

“As fans, we loved and revered him, and in return, he loved us back,” Harris continued. “The energy of hThis music and its ability to bring people together helped make Cleveland the Rock and Roll Capitol of the world, and it galvanized the community to come together and make our city the seat of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. . Michael will be sadly missed. My sincere condolences to the Stanley family on the death of Michael. His contributions to rock and roll and to our region will not be forgotten, and we are honored to preserve his legacy and tell his story forever at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

A statement from his family said the singer / songwriter (and, in his last act, DJ) – full name Michael Stanley Gee – had “passed away peacefully at home on March 5 with his family by his side … Michael has battled lung cancer for seven months with the same strength and dignity that he carried throughout his life. He will always be remembered as a father, brother, loving husband, faithful friend and the frontman of one of Cleveland’s most successful rock groups.

The funeral service will be private and Stanley will be buried at Lake View Cemetery, the family said.

Stanley did his last afternoon shift on WNCX on February 19. On March 3, the classic rock station finally acknowledged his absence, saying, “Michael Stanley is struggling with serious health issues that prevent him from joining you at 3 pm-7pm. slot. It was important for him to be on the air until recently because you, his fans, mean a lot to him.

Stanley left an unreleased album in the box – which brought producer Szymczyk back into the fold, more than 50 years after producing Silk’s 1969 album, followed by a good run of records for Stanley and the MSB in the ’70s. Szymczyk told Cleveland.com that although Stanley was in poor health as they cut the “Tough Room” album last year, “he’s pretty shaken up. He always … wakes up and crying. I’ve always been drawn to awakenings… and this one has more awakenings than crying.

Stanley is survived by two daughters, Anna Sary (Christian) and Sarah Sharp (Aaron); his wife, Ilsa Glanzberg and stepson Cole Sweeney; her sister, Nancy Oosterhoudt, and her niece, Claire Kloss; and five grandchildren: Mallory Sidoti (Mike), Aidan Kraus, Brody Kraus, Wren Sary and Phoebe Sary.



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