Randy Rampage Of D.O.A. And Annihilator Has Died Aged 58

Randy Desmond Archibald – AKA Randy Rampage – the founding bassist of hardcore punk legends D.O.A. and one of the lead singers of Canadian thrashers Annihilator, has died at 58.

The Vancouver Sun reports that on Tuesday he came home from a shift working at the Port Of Vancouver in North Vancouver, sat down in his favourite chair and suffered a heart attack. He died early Tuesday evening.

“It looked as though he was just watching a South Park DVD, resting,” his partner, Susanne Tabata, told the Sun. “It happened early last evening when I was out running an errand. I just talked to him before I left.”

Randy had recently gone back to work following a hip-break after being hit by a forklift.

Just prior to his death, Randy had been working with the makers of Bloodied But Unbowed, a documentary about Vancouver’s punk scene in the 1970s. They posted the following statement on Facebook:

Dear friends,

Tonight sometime after 7pm Randy Rampage left us to reign in the heavens. A punk legend has moved on. And because he shared himself with you, please share a moment and think of Randy Desmond Archibald aka Rampage. We love you Randy.

Randy was one of the founding members of D.O.A. along with Joey “Shithead” Keithley and Chuck Biscuits. He played on the group’s first two albums, 1980’s Something Better Change, and the following year’s Hardcore ’81, before being ejected from the band in 1982. He would return intermittently in the years to come, with his final stint lasting from 2006-2009.

Randy sang on Annihilator’s debut record Alice In Hell in 1989 and left immediately after that. He returned to the band on their 1999 album Criteria for A Black Widow.

Have a listen to Hardcore ’81 here:

And here he is on Annihilator’s Alice In Hell:

Finally, here's the trailer for Bloodied But Unbowed: