| Robbin Crosby | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Robb Lantz Crosby |
| Also known as | King |
| Born | August 4, 1959 La Jolla, California, United States |
| Died | June 6, 2002 (aged 42) Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Heavy metal, hard rock, hair metal |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | guitar |
| Years active | 1977–2002 |
| Associated acts | Ratt, Jon Bon Jovi, Secret Service, MacMeda, Phenomenon |
| Notable instruments | |
| Jackson King V Jackson Firebird |
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Robbin Crosby (August 4, 1959 – June 6, 2002) was an American guitarist who was a member of glam metal band Ratt, earning several platinum albums in the U.S. in the mid-to-late 1980s. Crosby was HIV positive, but died from a heroin overdose in 2002.
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Crosby was born Robb Lantz Crosby in La Jolla, California, and had two sisters, Ristin and Bronle. The son of Harry W. Crosby, a schoolteacher and author.
Crosby was one of the original members of Ratt. Towards the end of 1981 and would end up co-writing many of Ratt's songs including "Round and Round", "Wanted Man" and "Lay it Down". The album Out of the Cellar went to triple platinum based on Crosby's co-penned "Round and Round".[1]
Crosby was dating actress Tawny Kitaen (who would go on to appear in several Whitesnake videos) at the time he joined Ratt, and she appears on the album covers of both the Ratt EP (1983) and Out of the Cellar (1984).
In the coming years, Crosby eventually bought a home in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, Crosby married Playboy Playmate Laurie Carr in 1987, eventually divorcing in 1991. They had no children.
Crosby eventually left Ratt. Prior to leaving, Crosby worked as a producer for metal band Lillian Axe.
In a June 1999 interview for a Ratt episode of VH1's Behind the Music, Crosby talked about how drug addiction and his HIV status changed his life. "What has drug addiction done for me?" he asked. "It's cost me my career, my fortune, basically my sex life when I found out I was HIV positive.[2]
In 2001, Crosby publicly stated that he had AIDS and had been HIV positive since 1994. He had also been in and out of the hospital for eight years dealing with back problems and health issues associated with the HIV virus. To occupy his time he became a Little League coach, and also worked on a guitar fan/collector project, which was to create a limited-edition run of Jackson King V "Big Red" replica guitars.
Crosby also attempted various musical projects, first (post-Ratt) re-uniting with San Diego friend and former Warrior/Atomic Playboys vocalist Perry McCarty, Krys Baratto, Dino Guerrero and Mark Lewis as an updated version of Secret Service, a moniker used by McCarty and Crosby previously for their pre-Ratt San Diego band. Later moving to El Paso in 1996, he briefly played with the Country/Western group Bill&Kev&War Party. One of his last projects was with former collaborator and ex-Ratt bassist Juan Croucier.
Crosby died in Los Angeles on June 6, 2002. Reported causes of his death include AIDS-related complications,[3][4] and heroin overdose.[5][6]
At the time of his death Crosby had changed physically, due to a pancreatic condition that changed his metabolism; Crosby had gained significant weight since his 1980s Ratt heyday. He was quoted as saying in an interview just before his death, "Apparently my pancreas has given up and I'm not metabolizing food the way I should. It's real frustrating.... I have a roommate that probably weighs 150 lbs. and he eats a lot more than I do. It's not like I'm a pig or a slob."
According to an autopsy report after his death, Crosby weighed 400 pounds (180 kg).[2]
In a 1999 interview that was first televised in 2006, when Ratt's Behind the Music episode finally aired, Crosby stated, "When I die, nobody cry at my funeral, in fact let's all have a party; I've lived the life of ten men. I lived all my dreams and more."
Crosby's remains were cremated. His memorial was at Windansea Beach in La Jolla, California; friends and family on surfboards spread his ashes out at sea.
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