3 Years Ago: Ronnie Montrose Dies

On this day (March 3. 2012), guitarist Ronnie Montrose died. It was initially thought that the cause of death was due to prostate cancer returning but it was later confirmed that the rocker had taken his own life after a lifetime of battling depression.

Montrose performed with and did session work for many artists including Sammy Hagar, Van Morrison, Edgar and Johnny Winter, and many others. When the first Montrose album was released in 1973, it was often cited as 'America's answer to Led Zeppelin', and also labeled 'the first american heavy metal album' by some critics. Ronnie Montrose mainly used a Gibson Les Paul, and has been highly regarded as one of the most influential guitarists in hard rock.

Check out Montrose 'Bad Motor Scooter' featuring Sammy Hagar on vocals.