Local favorite Donnie Iris dies at age 83
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Less than a month after announcing his retirement from performing, Donnie Iris died Monday at the age of 83.
A cause of death hasn't been announced, but Iris went public with his bladder cancer diagnosis in 2023
Donnie Iris and the Cruisers played its last show on Sept. 28 at Live at The Wylie in Pittsburgh. His next-to-last performance was at the Canfield Fair on Sept. 7, which is fitting. Iris was born in Beaver Falls, Pa., and beloved in western Pennsylvania, but the Youngstown-Warren market may be the place he played the most outside of greater Pittsburgh.
The man known as "King Cool" played so many rib burn-offs and similar events in the Mahoning Valley that locals may subconsciously hear "Ah! Leah!" whenever they smell slow-cooked meat.
JAC Live booked Iris for the Canfield Fair. Ken Bigley, COO of JAC, said Iris clearly was feeling the effects of his health issues, but it didn't dampen his enthusiasm.
"He was happier to be at that show than anybody in the audience, and I don’t mean that the audience wasn’t happy," Bigley said. "He legitimately approached every show that way, like a kid in an amusement park."
Iris also played the Robins Theatre in Warren earlier this year, and Sunrise Entertainment President and CEO Ken Haidaris booked him there and at the Warren Community Amphitheatre.
"Along with Michael Stanley, he was the music of our youth," Haidaris said.
Iris was a hometown hero who made a national impact. He had his first hit in 1970 as a member of The Jaggerz with "The Rapper," which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. With the Cruisers, "Ah! Leah!," "Love Is Like a Rock" and "My Girl" all were top 40 hits, and "Sweet Merilee," "Tough World," "The High and the Mighty," "Do You Compute?" and "Injured in the Game of Love" all were top 40 hits on mainstream rock radio.
Youngstown's The Vindys had several opportunities to open for Iris, including performing at his 80th birthday bash at UPMC Events Center in Moon Township, Pa., in 2023.
"I loved Donnie Iris dearly," Vindys' lead singer Jackie Popovec said. "I was lucky enough to share so many fun moments with him over the last eight years. He was always so kind to every single person he met, and that's something that really stuck with me. He never acted like the rock star he truly was.
"He was humble, genuine and just an all around wonderful person. He really was the coolest Yinzer you'd ever meet."
As much as he enjoyed the concerts, Haidaris said he also enjoyed smoking a cigar with Iris before those shows and hearing his stories. Bigley said a cigar always was part of Iris's concert rider, the items the promoter is required to provide for the performer. The brand of cigar Iris asked for wasn't something rare or expensive, and Bigley asked his tour manager if Iris would mind if he got him a better cigar than the one he requested.
"I had the guys at the cigar shop pick one out, and Donnie raved about it for 20 minutes," Bigley said. "He was sitting back there smoking, just him and me."
Bigley said he regrets that he got busy doing other things and didn't take the opportunity to watch Iris at the fair.
"I heard bits and pieces of it, but I didn’t go out," he said. "You don't think it's going to be the last one you're going to see. You'd watch a little closer."
In the statement earlier this month announcing his retirement, Iris wrote, "Music has given me far more than I could ever put into words. From the earliest days to every chapter of my life, your support has been a constant source of joy and inspiration. I am deeply grateful to my daughters and my entire family, the musicians, crew members, promoters, venues and especially the fans who made this life possible.”
The post concluded, “While I will no longer be performing live, the memories, the music and the connections we have built together will always remain close to my heart. Thank you for your loyalty, your energy and your love through all the years. It has been my great honor to make music for you.”