Former Deicide and Sebastian Bach guitarist Ralph Santolla has died aged 48.
Santolla, who had also played with Obituary and Iced Earth, had fallen into a coma following a major heart attack, and was taken off life support on 6 June.
His mother, Sue Santolla-Rocha, announced his death on Facebook: “Just so we all start to heal, Ralph Santolla is not laying on that bed at St Joseph Hospital. He has gone, and he is happy and at peace in heaven.”
A number of Santolla’s peers have paid tribute to the guitarist on social media - we’ve posted a selection below.
Rest In Peace Ralph SantollaThanks for the music and the fun timesMy condolences to the Santolla family. https://t.co/J4Ejrjmw64June 6, 2018
Really sad news about Ralph Santolla. God rest his soul. Condolences to the Santolla family https://t.co/OCg50L5ts3June 5, 2018
American guitarist Ralph Santolla has passed away. I have a lot of fond memories of Ralph, I actually shared a tour bus with Ralph on his first ever European tour. Rest In Peace. (Click the link below to read more). https://t.co/6yPZWoMbj8#ralphsantolla #rip #ripralphsantolla pic.twitter.com/UgHjtuTSYUJune 7, 2018
RIP ralphsantolla You will be missed Buddy 😢 https://t.co/yJNF4xyBRFJune 5, 2018
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