Former Faith No More singer Chuck Mosley dies at age 57

Chuck Mosley’s  family had released a statement saying he unfortunately died due drug abuse:

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“After a long period of sobriety, Charles Henry Mosley III lost his life on November 9th, 2017 due to the disease of addiction.

“We’re sharing the manner in which he passed in the hopes that it might serve as a warning or wake-up call or beacon to anyone else struggling to fight for sobriety.

“He is survived by long-term partner Pip Logan, two daughters, Erica and Sophie, and his grandson Wolfgang Logan Mosley.

“The family will be accepting donations for funeral expenses. Details to follow when arranged.”

Faith No More also released a statement about the sad news:

“It’s with a heavy, heavy heart we acknowledge the passing of our friend and bandmate Chuck Mosley. He was a reckless and caterwauling force of energy who delivered with conviction and helped set us on a track of uniqueness and originality that would not have developed the way it had had he not been a part.”

“How fortunate we are to have been able to perform with him last year in a reunion style when we re-released our very first record. His enthusiasm, his sense of humor, his style and his bravado will be missed by so many. We were a family, an odd and dysfunctional family, and we’ll be forever grateful for the time we shared with Chuck.”

The most famous song of Faith No More on Chuck’s era was “We Care a Lot”.

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Career

Charles Henry Mosley III (December 26, 1959 – November 9, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter, who was best known as the frontman for Faith No More from 1984 to 1988. During his tenure with the band, they released two albums, We Care a Lot and Introduce Yourself.

Mosley first met Billy Gould in 1977, going to a The Zeros, Johnny Navotnee and Bags show. He then went on to play keyboards in Billy’s first band, The Animated, in 1979. In 1984 he joined Haircuts That Kill, a post-punk band from the San Francisco area, which lasted up until Mosley’s joining of Faith No More.

He joined Faith No More in 1985 replacing, among others, Courtney Love (Hole) who had a brief stint as lead singer. AllMusic states that Mosley’s “out of tune” vocals for Faith No More are “an acquired taste to most.”

By 1987, Faith No More were gaining mainstream traction, signing with the major label Slash Records (Warner Music Group) and touring with prominent acts such as Red Hot Chili Peppers. According to Billy Gould, they started to consider firing Mosley during a tour of Europe in 1988, where his behaviour had become increasingly erratic.

Incidents include Mosley allegedly punching Gould on stage. and one of Mosley’s roadies getting into a fist fight with guitarist Jim Martin. Gould stated “By the time that happened, Chuck was already kind of out of it for me. I guess Jim and the roadie had been drinking and they got in a fight.

It came a point where Jim was our guitar player, and he broke his hand fighting the guy. It’s the first night of our European tour, and somebody had to go – it obviously wasn’t going to be our guitar player.

Chuck took it very personally, sticking up for this roadie.” Mosley was eventually fired after the band returned home from Europe. Billy Gould reflected “There was a certain point when I went to rehearsal, and Chuck wanted to do all acoustic guitar songs.

It was just so far off the mark. The upshot was that I got up, walked out and quit the band. I Just said: ‘I’m done – I can’t take this any longer. It’s just so ridiculous’. The same day, I talked to Bordin, and he said: ‘Well, I still want to play with you’. Bottum did the same thing. It was another one of these ‘firing somebody without firing them’ scenarios.”

Battle after Faith No More

Mosely sued his bandmates in 1989, claiming a partnership interest in Faith No More’s financial assets. They eventually settled, and Mosley agreed to give up his rights to the band’s works, its assets or name. There is currently an ongoing legal battle between Mosley/Manifesto Records and Faith No More regarding royalties for the band’s debut album We Care a Lot.

Mosley stated in January 2016 “I am distraught that I am being sued by my former band members and even more distraught if I did something that would negatively impact my future relationship with the band, which I value. I consider certain members of Faith No More as my ‘family.’ I would never have signed the Manifesto contract if I fully appreciated the dissention it would cause or how the band would object.”

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Rafael Polcaro: I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG