Albert Floyd Piccirilli (July 13, 1928 – May 24, 2020), also known by his stage name Al Rex, was an American bass player for

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

and its predecessor Bill Haley and the Saddlemen.

Background

He started playing for them in 1949 and became noted for "wild antics" on stage. He formed his own band, Al Rex and the Regaleers in 1960. He left the music industry soon after, although he continued to perform on occasion. He later had a wife and fathered eight children. On May 24, 2020, he died in his

Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a municipality with home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania and the 7 ...

home from pneumonia. He was the last surviving of the Comets.

Film appearances

He appeared as a member of the band in the 1950s films ''

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was record ...

'' (1956) and ''

Don't Knock the Rock ''Don't Knock the Rock'' is a 1956 American musical film starring Alan Dale and Alan Freed. Directed by Fred F. Sears, the film also features performances by Bill Haley & His Comets, Little Richard, The Treniers, and Dave Appell and the App ...

'' (1957).

References

External links

* 1928 births 2020 deaths 20th-century American guitarists American people of Italian descent Bill Haley & His Comets members Musicians from New York City {{US-bass-guitarist-stub