The news was confirmed in a social media post from Grimmett's brother Mark, who wrote, "I don't really know where to start so I guess I will just come right out with it. It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart that I have to tell you all as many of you know him my very talented brother Steve Grimmett very sadly passed away today."
Born in Swindon in 1959, Grimmett's he sang on the debut album by Chateaux in 1982, and in 1983 Grim Reaper's See You in Hell appeared. Fear No Evil (1985) and Rock You to Hell (1987) followed, before a tenure with highly regarded UK thrashers Onslaugt.His Grim Reaper period considered the most successful for the band and the one that cemented their reputation as one of the best yet underrated NWOBHM bands.
After GM Grimmett would go on to front Lionsheart for five albums – before two more with Grim Reaper, 2016's Walking In The Shadows and 2019's At The Gates, and The Sanity Days'Evil Beyond Belief, made with other former members of Onslaught
In January 2017, the singer had his right leg partially amputated in order to "remove an infection from his foot and bones" after being hospitalised in South America, which led to "Grimm Up North", a fund-raising gig that took place in Bury featuring a cast of NWOBHM-connected bands including Holocaust, Oliver Dawson Saxon, Tysondog, Spartan Warrior, Salem and Scarab.
"I have no regrets whatsoever," Grimmett told VWMusic earliet this year . "I should by rights be a millionaire, but I haven’t got a penny to my name. I’m on welfare at the moment because of COVID, and a lot of people do think that I am a millionaire, but I can tell you now, I’m not. I’ve never received a penny – not one penny – from Grim Reaper, so that says it all, doesn’t it?
"But still, no regrets. I still love getting up there and playing. I still love watching the smiling faces in front of me. That says it all and does it all for me."
The singer was highly appreciated from the Greek Metal community and will be deeply missed. It is the second NWOBHM legendary singer who dies in less than a month, following Nicky Moore of SAMSON.The real underground legends are leaving unsung.
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