Sad news, and it's confirmed. Multiple outlets reported on October 26, 2026 that Donnie Iris died that Monday at 83 after a three-year battle with bladder cancer. The Pittsburgh Penguins and KDKA marked his death, and his colleague Joe Grushecky called him the most beloved Pittsburgh musician of all time.
Iris was born in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, in 1943. He began in the Jaggerz, who had the 1970 hit The Rapper, and briefly sang with Wild Cherry before going solo with his band the Cruisers. The song the post shares, Ah! Leah!, was a Top 30 hit from the 1980 album Back on the Streets, and Love Is Like a Rock and My Girls followed in 1981 and 1982.
He announced his retirement from live performance in late September, after his last show at Citizens Live at the Wylie in Pittsburgh. If you want to hear more than the hit, the Cruisers' early albums are worth a listen. Full obituary: Ultimate Classic Rock.
🔎 No free-to-share photo turned up to show here. Photos of Donnie Iris: Pictures on Agorai · Google Images · Wikimedia Commons
🕒 As of October 2026
