Jeff Labar of Cinderella Dead at 58

Jeff LaBar, the guitarist for the glam metal band Cinderella, has died at the age of 58. The musician was found dead in his Nashville apartment on Wednesday after family and friends were unable to reach him, LaBar’s first wife Gaile LaBar-Bernhardt told TMZ. News of his passing was confirmed later that day by his son Sebastian, who wrote in a social media post, “my father, my hero, my idol, passed away today.” LaBar’s cause of death was not disclosed.

In sharing the tragic news of his father’s death, Sebastian, who is a guitarist for the band Tantric, shared a gallery of images of his father as well as photos of himself and his father. He wrote, “so i just got the call… [Jeff LaBar] , my father, my hero, my idol, passed away today.” Sebastian said he is “currently at a loss for words” and added, “I love you pop!” Sebastian also asked his followers to “please share pictures or video of all the fun times we all had with my dad. It would be greatly appreciated.”

Formed in Philadelphia back in 1983 by lead vocalist Tom Keifer, Cinderella welcomed LaBar to the group in 1985 after founding guitarist Michael Schermick departed. Alongside Keifer and Eric Brittingham, LaBar released Cinderella’s debut studio album, Night Songs, in 1986 after the band signed to Mercury/Polygram. The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 charts and was certified double platinum a year following its release. The LP’s breakthrough single “Nobody’s Fool,” meanwhile, reached No. 13, according to Rolling Stone. The band subsequently toured with Poison, David Lee Roth, and Bon Jovi.

Cinderella’s success continued with the release of 1988’s Long Cold Winter. The album contained singles like “The Last Mile,” “Coming Home,” and “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone),” which hit No. 12 on Billboard Hot 100. The band put out two more albums — 1990’s Heartbreak Station and 1994’s Still Climbing — before going on hiatus in 1995. They returned just a year later for a tour and a greatest hits compilation and continued to tour in the early 2000s and in 2006. Following another break, it was announced in 2017 that the band would not reunite.

In addition to his time with Cinderella, LaBar also played guitar for Naked Beggars. In 2014, he released a solo album titled One For The Road. Following news of his death, his Cinderella bandmates released a statement reading, “our hearts cannot begin to describe the feeling of losing our brother Jeff. The bond between us over decades of creating music and touring the world is something that we as a band uniquely shared… Jeff’s memory and music will be with us forever.”