Metal Singer Eric Wagner Dead at 62, Cause of Death Revealed

Heavy metal singer Eric Wagner, from the classic doom rock band Trouble, has died at the age of 62, and his cause of death has been revealed. According to the Chicago Reader, Wagner died of pneumonia which was related to Covid-19 complications. Bassist Ron Holzner — who played in Trouble as well as Wagner’s more recent band, The Skull — explained that Wagner had health issues but was trying to take better care of himself, though refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine was something the singer would not budge on.

“We argued about it, and he stood his ground on the matter,” Holzner told the Chicago Reader. “I always joked, ‘The World According to Eric Wagner-you should write a book.’ He lived his life his way.” Wagner reportedly opposed medications manufactured by “Big Pharma,” and had no plans of making an exception for the vaccine. Holzner went on to share some details about the unexpected final show The Skull played in Austin, Texas before Wagner’s death. “During the last song of the night, Eric turned to me and pointed at me and mouthed the words, ‘Thank you, I love you.’ He has done this over the years to me . . . this night he did it to Henry, Lothar, and Matt as well. I thought, wow… that’s cool. He died exactly two weeks later… I can’t stop thinking about it now.”

One of Wagner’s peers, Nathan Carson of Witch Mountain, spoke about the singer’s death, telling the Chicago Reader, “What’s really sad to me is that he was making some of the best music of his life in the Skull.” Carson added, “He’d always been wise for his years, but now he actually had the years under his belt. All of this came through in the lyrics, the sound of his voice, and his stage presence. He was a master who everyone knows deserved to be better known and on bigger stages. And I am certain he had several more albums’ worth of timeless music ready to pour out, if only he’d cared enough to protect himself.”

“Drowning in your own lungs is a terrible way to die. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone,” Carson continued. “But at least he had his beliefs. He felt he was going to a better place, so that probably took some of the edge off in the end. The music world is poorer without his voice, though. I really hoped he would live so that he could use that voice to send a message that this virus is no hoax. Instead, his legacy is an example of its own. Thankfully the music is forever.”