Pittsburgh Rock Singer Donnie Iris Dies at 83

Donnie Iris, a singer and musician from Pittsburgh, died on Monday at the age of 83. According to Variety, he had been fighting bladder cancer (a disease that starts in the bladder, the organ that holds urine) for three years.

Iris was regarded as Pittsburgh's biggest hometown rock hero. Joe Grushecky told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Iris was the most beloved Pittsburgh musician of all time.

Iris began singing in a doo-wop group while he was in high school in the early 1960s. The Jaggerz were formed in 1964, and the band released its first album, "Introducing the Jaggerz," in 1969. The group reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970 with "The Rapper."

In the late 1970s, Iris became a guitarist for Wild Cherry. It was during his time with Wild Cherry that he met Mark Avsec.

In 1980, Donnie Iris and the Cruisers released "Back on the Streets." That same year, "Ah! Leah!" reached No. 29 on the Hot 100. In 1981, the band had two mid-level chart hits, "Love Is Like a Rock" and "My Girl."

MCA Records dropped Donnie Iris and the Cruisers in 1984. Iris also owned SimCorp in Aliquippa.

Iris performed his final show on Sept. 28 at Citizens Live at the Wylie. He sat in a chair during the performance, having just finished radiation treatment. In 2025, Bob Lefsetz wrote a blog post about Iris.