R.I.P. Armando Acosta of Saint Vitus, 1952-2010

Blabbermouth.net is reporting a statement from Saint Vitus on the passing of original drummer Armando Acosta, who joined the band in 1979 and has had to sit out much of this latest reunion owing to health issues. Acosta, 58, was replaced by Blood of the Sun‘s Henry Vasquez in 2009, and passed away on Thanksgiving, Nov. 25. The band’s statement is reproduced below:

It is with great regret that we announce a great loss to the world of heavy metal with the passing of former Saint Vitus drummer Armando Acosta.

Armando‘s last show with Saint Vitus was April 29, 2009 in Stuttgart, Germany.

Armando had been struggling with health issues over the years but came back into the Vitus fold for one last hurrah by headlining Roadburn in 2009 and playing a handful of European dates directly after the festival.

Henry Vasquez replaced Armando Acosta in 2009, making his debut on the main stage at Hellfest.

The December 2010 Saint Vitus tour will be dedicated to our old friend, Armando Acosta.

R.I.P., brother!!!

The Obelisk sends heartfelt condolences to Acosta‘s friends and family, and to doomers the world over, who know the magnitude of his contribution to heavy metal. He will be missed.

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4 Responses to “R.I.P. Armando Acosta of Saint Vitus, 1952-2010”

  1. RIP. After reading “Get In The Van”, i’d realized how completely off the beaten path that St. Vitus were. I was too young in the mid 80’s to have heard of them then, and I most likely wouldn’t have got what they were doing, anyways. Initially, my perception of the band when i’d heard of them in the 90’s was just of probably a regular metal band due to the 90’s releases and maybe the labels that they were on, but it had blew me away when I learned that they were on SST. At that time in the early/ mid/ late 80’s, there was just no real avenues for them–in terms of similar bands, peers, touring connections. You wonder how many shitty dive bars they played and how many tours that they slept in vans or on floors with little money…..making what Acosta did that much more admirable and earning of respect. You also wonder how the stoner rock landscape would be without them……maybe it would still be here, but maybe in a far reduced capacity.

  2. joe says:

    RIP Armando Acosta…I first met him when he was roadie for DOKKEN, WAY before the George Lynch years…he also worked at the Fleetwood doing security, see FEAR at the Fleetwood from that first Decline of W. Civilization movie, Armando is one of the wall of security guys keeping people off the stage…he was a mainstay of the South Bat hard rock music scene…a nice guy, everybody loved him, always happy & smiling…I have many fond memories of him…RIP brother…Joe from Redondo Beach, CA

  3. Ive known Armondo since 1979 one of the nicest guys anybody could meet and one hell of a badass drummer, got to know him very well hanging out at the Dave Chandler Mark Adams residence in Lomita, watching them rehearse in the living room of Daves place and jumping in the van and hitting the shows with them in the early days, I miss him alot he was one hell of a cool dude what a Loss, RIP rock in peace brother lots of great memories ? Doom on

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