James Kottak Dies: Scorpions and Kingdom Come Drummer Was 61
deadline.comFormer Scorpions and Kingdom Come drummer James Kottak died Tuesday morning in Louisville, Kentucky at 61. No cause of death has been given by his daughter, Tobi.
Scorpions paid tribute to Kottack in a Facebook post. “Very sad news … our dear friend and Drummer for 20 years James Kottak has passed at the age of 61,” the band wrote alongside a black-and-white image of Kottak. “James was a wonderful human being , a great musician and loving family man … he was our Brother from another Mother and will be truly missed . … Rock ‘n Roll Forever.
RIP James.” Kottak was the drummer for Scorpions for its biggest hit, 1984’s Rock You Like a Hurricane, and played with them from 1996 to 2016, the longest stint for any member in the band.
Before that, he was the original drummer for another German hard rock band, Kingdom Come, from 1987 to 1995. In a sideline, Kottak also made some reality TV show appearances, including 2012’s Ex-Wives of Rock.
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