Robbin Crosby
1960 — 2002
San Diego, California
Rock musician; guitarist for '80s hard-rock band, Ratt.
Robbin Crosby, a guitarist in the heavy-metal rock band Ratt, died in 2002 of complications related to AIDS. He was 42.
"Robbin had everything kids dream of growing up," said Crosby's brother-in-law, Bill Decker, of La Jolla, Calif. "But then he started getting heavily into the drugs, and his marriage started to fall apart. He lost his way."
Robbin Crosby publicly disclosed that he had AIDS during an interview with a Los Angeles radio station. It is unclear where he died. Mr. Decker said Crosby spent time in several rehabilitation homes, including Pathfinders in San Diego.
"The heroin got in the way, and the cocaine, and all the other stuff," he said. "At some point he just gave up. There wasn't a will anymore to go on."
Crosby said he may have contracted the virus that causes AIDS when he started using heroin as a member of Ratt, which had hits like "Round and Round" and "Lay It Down."
Warren DeMartini, also a guitarist in Ratt, said that the first time he saw Crosby, he was playing at a party at La Jolla High School. "He had the focus, and he already looked like he'd been doing it for 20 years," DeMartini told "The Union-Tribune." "Even then he had the idea of going all the way, and he did, beyond probably what he thought was possible."
Robbin Crosby was born in San Diego. He teamed with DeMartini and singer Stephen Pearcy, both fellow San Diego musicians, in Ratt, along with Juan Croucier and Bobby Blotzer. The group's 1984 debut album, "Out of the Cellar," reached No. 7 on the national charts. Ratt's first four albums each sold more than 1 million copies. Ratt disbanded in 1992.
Robbin Crosby is survived by his parents and two sisters.
Bio by ElvisPelvis.com: http://www.elvispelvis.com/