Another sad loss for the metal music world, as Ralph Santolla died yesterday (6th June 2018) after suffering a heart attack. He had been in a coma for almost a week.
His mother, Sue Santolla-Rocha, had revealed his condition in a Facebook post: “Friends and family, it is out there now, so let me tell you what I know. Ralph thought he had a spider bite on Saturday. Went to the hospital. It was not a spider bite; it was a blood clot. Tuesday night he fell and he had a heart attack. John Rocha gave him CPR until EMT arrived. His heart had stopped but they got him back. His visuals are stable but he is in a coma. He is on a ventilator, but he is breathing around it. He could breathe on his own, but they do not want to add additional strain to his body. He is in a coma. That is the main concern at this moment. They can fix everything else. We are having as many of his friends as he can come and talk to him and play music. There has been a minimal movement, but some. It is ICU, but he is in a private room and they are letting anyone in and they can stay as long as they want. So please pray as he has people all over the world praying and if you can come and spend time with him. Please… he needs to get back from the place that he is in. I love you all… Let’s just work on getting him out of the coma if we can”.
Later on, Ralph’s mother confirmed that he was taken off life support and passed away. The Italian-American guitarist had been a member of Death, Iced Earth, Deicide, Obituary etc. Our thoughts go his family and friends. Rest in Peace, Ralph …
