If you were a regular MTV viewer during the game-changing cable network’s earliest days, you may recall seeing a handful of music videos from a Buddy Holly-looking singer named Donnie Iris in between the endless loop of Rod Stewart, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, and Loverboy videos.
To Pittsburgh area residents, he was just “Donnie,” no other name needed. He was a living legend in western Pennsylvania.
Iris, an Ellwood City native also known as King Cool and one of the most popular rock musicians the area ever turned out, died Oct. 26, after a three-year battle with bladder cancer. He had just officially retired from performing earlier this month.
A regular fixture on the concert scene throughout western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio for six decades, Iris, born Dominic Ierace, was best known nationally for a string of hits in the 1970s and ’80s including “The Rapper” with the Jaggerz,” and “Ah! Leah!” and “Love is Like a Rock.” He also performed with Wild Cherry of “Play That Funky Music” fame.
His final performance was Sept. 28 at the grand opening of Citizens Live at The Wylie, Pittsburgh’s newest concert venue.
Iris has been a regular figure in the Beaver Valley, including being a member of a regular golf group at Beaver Valley Golf Club in Patterson Heights. He was enshrined as a Pittsburgh Rock ‘N Roll Legend, the city’s equivalent of the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame, in 2015.
