Pat DiNizio, lead singer of Smithereens, dead at 62

The Associated Press</span>
Published Wednesday, December 13, 2017 10:08AM EST
Last Updated Wednesday, December 13, 2017 10:09AM EST

SCOTCH PLAINS, N.J. -- Lead singer and songwriter of the New Jersey rock band Smithereens, Pat DiNizio, has died at age 62.

The band announced on Facebook that DiNizio died Tuesday. The cause of death was not announced.

DiNizio posted several days ago that he was hopeful of getting back on tour as he continued physical therapy for neck and back injuries at the Victorian farmhouse he was restoring in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.

Band members said their "journey with Pat was long, storied and a hell of a lot of fun." DiNizio and Carteret High School classmates guitarist Jim Babjak, bassist Mike Mesaros and drummer Dennis Diken formed formed the Smithereens in 1980.

The band's 1986 "Blood and Roses" was featured in the movie "dangerously Close."

Other hits included "A Girl Like You."

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