Vocalist Eric Wagner (ex-Trouble, the Skull) Dead at 62 | Revolver

Vocalist Eric Wagner (ex-Trouble, the Skull) Dead at 62

Pioneering doom singer passed away after battle with COVID pneumonia
Eric Wagner of Trouble photo by Peter Shurtleff, via The Skull's Facebook page
Eric Wagner
Photo courtesy of Peter Shurtleff via The Skull's Facebook page

Eric Wagner, the former vocalist of doom-metal OGs Trouble and the founding singer of The Skull, has died. He was 62. In a comment on The Skull's official Facebook page, Wagner's eldest son confirmed that his father had passed after being admitted to the hospital last week with COVID pneumonia. 

The Skull, which was founded by Wagner and two other ex-Trouble members in 2012, were touring the U.S. with The Obsessed up until a couple weeks when they decided to drop off the remaining dates due to surging COVID-19 cases. On August 17th, they announced on Facebook that they were cancelling their upcoming appearance at Psycho Las Vegas due to Wagner's hospitalization. Wagner's son, Luke, confirmed his passing today (August 23rd). 

"We all are devastated and in shock," the band wrote in a brief Facebook post earlier this morning. "We lost a band mate, friend, and brother. We will make a statement once we get more info and come to terms with this."

Wagner had a prolific career in heavy metal that started way back in 1979 when he co-founded Trouble, who are widely regarded as one of the pioneers of doom-metal. From 1984 to 1995, he recorded six albums with the band before leaving for a few years to start a project called Lid, but ultimately rejoined in 2000 to record one more record with Trouble, 2007's Simple Mind Condition, before leaving permanently to form The Skull. 

Named after Trouble's 1985 opus, The Skull was comprised of ex-Trouble members and released two albums, 2014's For Those Which Are Asleep and 2018's The Endless Road Turns Dark, before Wagner's tragic passing. Give one of Wagner's most iconic songs, Trouble's 1984 banger "The Tempter," a listen below in his honor of his memory.