Chuck Ruff, Former Sammy Hagar Drummer, Dead at 60

Alan M. Poulin / www.alanpoulinphoto.com

Chuck Ruff, who began to drum for Sammy Hagar in 1977 and performed on Hagar albums such as ‘Street Machine’ and ‘Danger Zone,’ both of which were released in 1979, has died at the age of 60. Ruff passed away on Friday, Oct. 14 in San Francisco after battling a long illness.

Hagar issued a statement about the matter and offered sentiments of fondness for the drummer, saying: “I lost one of my old bandmates, Chuck Ruff, [on Friday]. Chuck was my drummer on ‘Danger Zone’ and ‘Street Machine’ and many many live tours together. I have only memories of great times and great music with Chuck. My condolences to his family, friends and loved ones.”

Ruff also played a famed drum duet with Edgar Winter of The Edgar Winter Group on the instrumental hit ‘Frankenstein’ from 1973.

R.I.P. Chuck!

It turns out we were just thinking of Chuck Ruff recently. In our Top 10 list of Sammy Hagar driving songs, ‘Trans Am (Highway Wonderland)’ from ‘Street Machine’ landed at No. 2. Take a listen to the song and/or album if you haven’t done so recently to get another taste of Ruff’s work and legacy.