John Panozzo

John Anthony Panozzo (September 20, 1948 – July 16, 1996) was an American drummer. He was best known for his work with rock band Styx.

John Panozzo
Born	(1948-09-20)September 20, 1948 Chicago, Illinois
Died	July 16, 1996(1996-07-16) (aged 47)
Genres	Heavy metal
Years active	1972-1996
Labels	A&M Records

Career

Panozzo grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He had a fraternal twin brother, Chuck.^[1] At age 7, the twins took musical lessons from their uncle. John took an interest in drums and percussion. They attended Catholic school. They were part of a 3-piece accordion band in which John played drums and Chuck played guitar. They would play weddings at age 12 and were paid $15 apiece.

Styx

In 1961 John, Chuck, and their neighbor, Dennis DeYoung, formed a band called the Tradewinds.^[2]John played drums, Chuck played guitar, and Dennis played the accordion and sang. They played at bars and began gaining popularity as a garage band on the South Side of Chicago. In 1968, Chuck switched to bass. They added guitarists/vocalists James "J.Y." Young and John Curulewski and changed the name of the band to TW4.^[3] The band signed to Wooden Nickel Records and changed their name to Styx.

Death

By the early 1990s his health suffered from heavy drinking.^[1] He took a less active role with Styx. In 1996 he was replaced by Todd Sucherman for the reunion tour. He was found dead in his home a few days later. He died from cirrhosis of the liver.^[1]