Last weekend, the metal community suffered another loss when former Dio and Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain died while on the Def Leppard ‘Hysteria on the High Seas’ cruise with his current band, Last In Line. He was 68. And while he’s had struggles with drugs and alcohol in the past, the official cause of death was lung cancer. Drummer Vinny Appice made the announcement on his Facebook page, stating that the bassist was battling pneumonia, but had no idea that he’d had cancer:

Jimmy Bain – friend, brother and band mate passed away on Saturday January 23, 2016.

The Medical Examiner report states the official cause of death was lung cancer.

Jimmy didn’t know he had lung cancer, but he did know he had pneumonia and was receiving treatment for it.
This didn’t stop him or slow him down, we had four rehearsals 4 hours a day, then a flight to Miami for The Def Leppard Rock Cruise. A pre-sail gig and sound check was scheduled for the following day. At the gig Jimmy played great and even sang that night while holding a heavy bass guitar on his back, never complaining or asking for help.

Next day we preceded to board the cruise ship for a 5 day voyage of which we were scheduled to play Sunday the 4th day.
That gig never happened as Jimmy passed away in his cabin the night before, we were devastated.

Jimmy was a trooper, he gave his all to the band he loved, the music he loved and the fans.He didn’t want to let anyone down.
I don’t know anyone that would have attempted this schedule while being this sick and not feeling well, a trooper.

He was so happy and proud of the new album we recorded, it so unfortunate and sad he didn’t live to see it released.
We were all looking forward to being on the road and playing together again, there was such a magic between us.

Our prayers go out to his family and so many friends and fans who will miss the amazing person that was Jimmy Bain.

Vinny

It’s sad that he didn’t seek help if he was ill, but he died doing what he loved, and played a show just a few days earlier. And while it’s heartbreaking that cancer has claimed another life, at least he died of natural causes.