American rock musician Donnie Iris has died at the age of 83.

American rock singer Donnie Iris has died at the age of 83. This was announced on October 27 by the music publication Noise11 with reference to Joe Vitale Jr., the drummer of the band Donnie Iris and the Cruisers.

"My supervisor and friend Donnie Iris has passed away," Vitale said.

The musician died on Monday, October 26. He has been battling bladder cancer for the last three years. Despite his illness and undergoing treatment, Iris did not stop his creative activity. The artist gave his last concert on September 28 in Pittsburgh. He announced the end of his tour activities for health reasons on October 9.

Donnie Iris became widely known as one of the founders of the Jaggerz collective. His song The Rapper reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970.

Later, the musician collaborated with the band Wild Cherry. There he met keyboardist Mark Avsek, with whom he later created the Donnie Iris and the Cruisers project. The song Ah! Leah! Back on the Streets, from the new band's debut album, also became a hit, reaching number 29 on the Billboard charts.