Widow of Quiet Riot Drummer Frankie Banali Says He Planned His Funeral Before Cancer Diagnosis

Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali's widow revealed Friday that the musician had planned his own funeral before he was even diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer last year.

The drummer reportedly died at age 68 on Thursday, according to Quiet Riot's agent.

As reported by Blabbemouth, during an interview on radio host Eddie Trunk's Trunk Nation SiriusXM show, the drummer's widow, Regina Banali, spoke about plans for a memorial service and concert for Frankie.

Regina Banali said that he'd paid for the service in Los Angeles' famous Forest Lawn Cemetery prior to being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. "He had already bought and paid for and planned his entire services at Forest Lawn before his diagnosis," she said. She likened it to funeral services for Black Sabbath and Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio and Rainbow/Dio guitarist Jimmy Bain's funerals.

She said that a service fit for a rock legend will likely be held at the famed Rainbow Bar and Grill, a famous hangout for heavy metal musicians. "He was saying we're gonna rent the Rainbow and have laminated passes and send off in the rock n' roll way that he arrived in L.A. He had a lot of history with the Rainbow.

Banali said that with the current COVID-19 pandemic still limiting many public events, when the memorials will occur is still up in there. "I don't know how we'll do it or when," she told Trunk.

Towards the end of the interview, Banali eulogized her husband, paying tribute to his many talents. "Frankie was the most amazing person that I've ever met in my entire life. He was such a force and such an incredible person," she said. "He played so many styles of music. He was a smart businessman, and he was a talented artists, a talented painter. He had a creative eye with pretty much every artist thing there is."

Frankie Banali was best known for his work in Quiet Riot, which he was the sole original member in the lineup at the time of his death. The band rose to mainstream success with their 1983 album Metal Health, which boasted the hits "Bang Your Head" and a cover of Slade's song "C*m On Feel The Noize." Besides Quiet Riot, he also contributed drums for W.A.S.P. on a number of albums and had played with Billy Idol.

Upon the news of his passing on Friday, several famous rockers memorialized Frankie Banali on Twitter, sharing photos and experiences with the the musician. Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider vowed that the musician's "spirit will live forever." He also recommended people watch Well Now You're Here, There's No Way Back, the documentary about Quiet Riot, which was directed by Regina Banali.

Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley also tweeted about the Quiet Riot drummer, speaking about how open he'd been with his battle with cancer. Former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy shared a photo in remembering his friend.

The band's PR company did not respond to Newsweek's emailed request for comment in time for publication.