2-12-2024 (LOS ANGELES) Former My Chemical Romance drummer Bob Bryar, who played a pivotal role in the band’s landmark album The Black Parade, has passed away at age 44, the band’s representatives confirmed on Sunday.
Bryar, who joined the alternative rock outfit in 2004 as a replacement for Matt Pelissier, was an integral member during the group’s most commercially successful period. A spokesperson for the band requested privacy as they process the loss, though no cause of death was disclosed.
After departing the band in 2010, Bryar stepped away from the music industry, later channelling his efforts into animal welfare causes. In a notable philanthropic gesture, he auctioned his drum kit to support an animal adoption facility in Tennessee.
His tenure with My Chemical Romance coincided with their meteoric rise in the alternative rock scene. Having formed in 2001, the band achieved their breakthrough with 2004’s “Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge” before releasing their magnum opus, “The Black Parade,” in 2006.
The timing of Bryar’s passing comes as My Chemical Romance prepares for a significant milestone – a 10-date North American stadium tour scheduled for next year, where they plan to perform “The Black Parade” in its entirety.
The band’s journey has been marked by various phases, including their initial breakup in 2013, followed by a greatest hits release and a subsequent reunion in 2019, which was later revealed to have been privately initiated two years earlier.
