Hard rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose’s death has been ruled a suicide by the San Mateo County coroner. The 64-year-old rocker died last month of a self-inflicted gunshot wound — and was found in his home in Brisbane. The autopsy report stated that Montrose had been intoxicated at the time of his death. He had a .31-percent blood-alcohol ration — that’s four times the legal limit in the states.
While Montrose’s wife claimed that he had a suffered from depression throughout his life, the guitarist didn’t leave a suicide note. He had also been battling prostate cancer, but reportedly went into remission in 2009.
Montrose was born in San Francisco. He formed his own band, Montrose, in 1973 — and did work with the likes of Sammy Hagar, Van Morrison, Boz Scaggs, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, and The Neville Brothers. Some of Montrose’s most recognized singles include “Rock the Nation” and “I Got the Fire.”
“By now, the devastating truth of Ronnie’s death is public knowledge,” Montrose’s official website posted in a statement. “We hope you can understand why we wanted to keep this news a private family matter for as long as possible.”
[San Francisco Chronicle, [Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images]
