Sad news for the metal community, The Skull frontman, and doom metal icon, Eric Wagner has passed due to COVID caused pneumonia. Wagner’s son, Luke Wagner, confirmed the singer’s passing via the band’s social media.Wagner was 62. He was also part of the heavy metal band Trouble from 1981 to 1997 and again from 2001 to 2008.

Just last week, the news hit that the singer had contracted COVID-19 and had to be hospitalized due to the pneumonia. The Skull was set to perform at Psycho Las Vegas that weekend, but had to ultimately cancel due to Wagner’s hospitalization. At this point of time, the band still remained hopeful for a speedy recovery of their frontman. All the other bandmates had tested negative to the virus. You can see their post below.

Wagner’s oldest son, commented on the post the band shared about their singer’s hospitalization, announcing the passing of his father. Luke was met with many condolences by saddened fans.

The Skull was set to hit the road this summer, along with The Obsessed, but ultimately canceled their tour due to the rising numbers of COVID infections and out of safety concerns. They announced their decision via a social media but then later deleted the post. The Obsessed frontman Wino recently made headlines after dropping out of Psycho Las Vegas after the festival updated their COVID policy, requiring everyone to wear masks for all indoor events within the festival grounds.

Wagner’s band The Skull released two album, For Those Which Are Asleep (2014) and their most recent album, The Endless Road Turns Dark (2018). They also released three EPs, Sometime Yesterday Mourning/Last Judgement CD (2014), The Longing/The Skull 7″ in 2016 and another EP in the same year, A New Generation.