Ronnie Montrose

In the wake of Ronnie Montrose's untimely passing, an all-star group of his friends got together to put on a show that celebrated the guitarist's contributions to rock 'n' roll. On Dec. 10, that concert is scheduled to make its home-video debut.

Rockers Ronnie Montrose and Bob Welch were two of the name musicians who died this past year, and sadly both did so by taking their own lives. Initially reports suggested that Montrose passed away in March after a battle with cancer, but in April a family friend issued a statement revealing that the Montrose guitarist died from a self-inflicted gunshot.

The life of trailblazing guitarist Ronnie Montrose was celebrated by the musical family and friends who knew him best on Friday night with a San Francisco area tribute concert which featured performances from a star-studded lineup of guests -- including alumni from both of Montrose’s best known projects, Montrose and Gamma.

Former Journey drummer Steve Smith reunited on stage with his one-time bandmate Neal Schon for an all-star tribute to the life of Ronnie Montrose last Friday. And in a new interview, Smith recalls drumming for Montrose in 1978 on the tour for ‘Open Fire,’ where the band was supporting Journey -- the outfit Smith would eventually join -- and a little group you may have heard of called Van Halen.

Prostate cancer dominated the last five years of Ronnie Montrose's life, but even as he battled the disease, the influential guitarist managed to stay active musically and play his share of gigs. One of those Montrose shows — recorded just five weeks before his March 3 suicide at age 64 — arrives next month as his first-ever concert DVD.

It has been confirmed that Ronnie Montrose's death last month was not directly due to his long battle with cancer. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office reports the guitarist instead died from suicide in the form of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

In a strange turn of events, Brisbane, Calif. police are reportedly investigating the circumstances surrounding the passing of legendary guitarist Ronnie Montrose.

Sammy Hagar has spoken out, this time at more length, about Ronnie Montrose, who died on Saturday, March 3, at the age of 64. Hagar had issued a statement immediately following the news that his former bandmate had passed away, but expounded on his thoughts and feelings a few days later.

The death of Ronnie Montrose over the weekend saddened many in the rock world, and tributes to the guitar hero poured in from his former bandmate Sammy Hagar as well as many other peers and younger rockers. We were particularly impressed by the written tribute and pictures sent to us by photographer Mark Bowman, so we decided to share them with you.

The death of guitarist Ronnie Montrose brought an outpouring of grief and fond memories from both his peers and fans yesterday. We thought it might be nice to focus on the music Montrose left behind with a special readers' poll dedicated to his career today.