Manny Martinez, who is best known as the drummer of the Misfits, has reportedly passed away at the age of 69.
According to his good friend, Zach Rector, the musician died sometime before Dec. 17. His official death date and cause of death weren’t disclosed. “Going to miss you, Brother Manny Martinez,” Rector wrote in the post. “A true living legend a student of Buddy Rich.”
Rector also recalled that Martinez had told him on multiple occasions of Rich bringing up “his chops” while coming up. “An Original MISFITS period. All around stand up guy, talking always about working and the progress on my house I’d call him up [and] talk a lot about carpentry issues [and] how I should figure out the reconfiguration of my upstairs of this old house of mine that was built in 1872… More than just a musician, artist [and] carpenter… He was my friend, Rest easy Manny.”
Manny Martinez notably replaced the band’s original drummer, Mr. Jim. He along with Glenn Danzig, played together before encountering Jeff Caiafa. However, after Caiafa started going by “Jerry Only,” he and Danzig decided that Martinez was unreliable. They then called Mr. Jim back to replace Martinez.
Danzig and Only have been the two only consistent members of the band until its dissolution in 1983. However, the group eventually got back together in 1995.
According to multiple outlets, Martinez is largely credited for introducing Danzig to Only. Blabbermouth added that Martinez’s recordings with the Misfits are featured in the band’s box set, which was released in 1996.
Misfit Fans React to the News about Manny Martinez’s Death
Meanwhile, Misfit fans took to Facebook to share their thoughts about Manny Martinez’s passing.
One fan wrote, “Manny played on the first 7 inch “Cough/Cool” and a number of live shows. Manny can also be seen on the back cover of Static Age. Manny was an excellent person and immensely important in the story of The Misfits, without Manny a large portion of The Misfits history would have been lost to time.”
Another fan wrote that while they never met Manny Martinez in person, they did have online conversations with him. “Had some online chats and he was great, so nice, open, and friendly. What time I had chatting is so special to me and will never forget.”
A fellow Misfit fan echoed that they didn’t interact with him in person, but they did chat online. “This is so extremely upsetting. I loved Manny and we talked often on messenger.”