Lou Koller, frontman of the hardcore band Sick of It All, has died after battling adenocarcinoma cancer. He was 59.
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Lou Koller and his brother Pete Koller formed Sick of It All along with drummer Armand Majidi in 1986 in Queens, New York. The band released its debut album, Blood, Sweat and No Tears, in 1989, and became one of the most prominent New York hardcore bands through constant touring. Craig Setari has been part of the band on bass since 1993. Their last album, Wake the Sleeping Dragon!, came out in 2018, and the band continued touring since then.
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In June 2024, Koller had shared with fans that doctors found a tumor in his esophagus that had spread into his stomach and that he would need to pause touring for treatment.
The band announced his passing on Friday through a social media post, which read, “It’s with unbelievable sadness that we announce to our worldwide hardcore family the passing of our brother Lou Koller. The level of loss that we feel at this time is overwhelming.” The band noted that this year would have marked Sick of It All’s 40th anniversary together.
His bandmates praised his “camaraderie, commitment and enthusiasm” that stayed “steadfast throughout the years,” adding, “We have lost a beloved friend and an iconic frontman. Lou had the power to raise everyone’s spirits at our shows with a smile and a sarcastic comment, and he won people over wherever we played, from every culture and every corner of the world.”
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Adenocarcinoma is a common type of cancer that originates in glandular epithelial cells. These cancers can develop in many organs with glandular tissue, including the lungs, colon, rectum, prostate, breast, pancreas, esophagus, and stomach. Adenocarcinomas often form gland-like structures and may grow and spread depending on the site and stage.
As per Cancer Council Australia, adenocarcinoma is the most common form of bowel, kidney, prostate, stomach, breast and lung cancers, and can also occur, less often, in the anus, bladder, vagina and vulva.
Symptoms depend on which organ is affected, and in early stages, a person may not notice any symptoms at all. Doctors usually diagnose it through a biopsy, where a tissue sample from the tumor is examined.
In their statement, the band thanked those who donated to Lou’s medical fund during his battle with the disease, writing, “His battle is over now and he can finally rest. Hopefully he can somehow still see and feel the beautiful, positive mark he left on the world.”
