Michele Agnello, the longtime girlfriend of TWISTED SISTER drummer A.J. Pero, has launched a crowdfunding campaign via the GoFundMe web site. She writes on the site: "Hi my name is Michele Agnello. I was AJ Pero's longtime girlfriend of 19 years, his companion, best friend and the mother of his youngest daughter Brianna, age 14. "Brianna was his sunshine. When he was not traveling and working as a world-renowned rock star in TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, he was just her dad. When he was home, they did everything together. She was his shadow; he was her whole world. "He was and always will be the love of our lives. "As most of you know, AJ recently passed away from a massive heart attack while on tour. Due to his unexpected and untimely passing, we now need a little help getting on our feet, to keep our home, basically start over without him. "AJ truly loved and appreciated his worldwide fans so now we are reaching out to you all. "For almost 20 years, AJ has been the sole provider for our family as the drummer in the legendary rock band TWISTED SISTER and had recently joined the band ADRENALINE MOB. "This is very hard for me to ask for help, but at the moment, we have nowhere else to turn. "Since we weren't legally married and he had no will, we are left with nothing and the bills are starting to pour in already this month. "I have been unemployed for several years now due to an accident that left me disabled with 2 broken elbows and subsequently rods had to be implanted. "I am asking for your assistance in helping us so I can get my daughter through this incredibly heartbreaking and difficult time in our lives. "With my head held low and my heart completely shattered, I ask for your help so we can keep our home, I can feed my daughter and buy her clothes until I find a job to support us. Anything you can spare would be greatly apprciated. "Thank you and God bless you all!" Pero died at the age of 55 while on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB. After members of that group failed to rouse him on their tour bus on March 20, he was taken to a Poughkeepsie, New York hospital and pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack. A couple of days after Pero's death, TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider told a TMZ cameraman that the group would "probably" would keep playing, "for [A.J.'s] family, because his family will benefit from us playing, financially." TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French sounded less certain about the band's future when he told radio host Eddie Trunk on March 23 that "it may be time" for TWISTED SISTER to call its quits in 2016 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of French, Snider and Ojeda first playing together. He said: "We need to look at this and say to ourselves, as a live, breathing entity, on which our reputation totally rests on being a great live act how do we honor that history? And how do we honor A.J.? And how do we honor the fans' loyalty? And I think you know me and Dee and the band enough to know that we are totally realistic and genuine when it comes to our relationship with our fans." TWISTED SISTER rose to prominence from the New York club scene in the early 1980s. Their biggest album, 1984's "Stay Hungry", contained the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock". In addition to touring with TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, Pero also recently played with former and current members of IRON MAIDEN and DISTURBED in a band called THE FOUNDRY. He also hosted drum clinics and seminars.
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