Founder, composer and band leader for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Paul O’Neill has died at the age of 61.
The multi-instrumentalist and producer known for writing classical and heavy metal melding Christmas hits like “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” had been battling a chronic illness, according to an article published by Rolling Stone today.
TSO, which launched yearly tours in the eastern and western halves of the U.S., visited Wilkes-Barre regularly and most recently for two shows in November.
O’Neill was the co-creator of several gold and platinum-selling Christmas-themed albums, and he had a penchant for creating music based on original stories he had written — a tribute to both rock operas and Broadway productions of which he was a devoted fan.
The stage show created under his direction perenially pushed the envelope of stage theatrics and pyrotechnics in rock ‘n’ roll.
O’Neill was a humanitarian who, in recent years, arranged for portions of money raised on TSO tours to be directly donated to people in need.
A statement made on TSO’s Facebook page described the production’s family as “heartbroken.”
“He was our friend and our leader — a truly creative spirit and an altruistic soul,” the statement said of O”Niell. “This is a profound and indescribable loss for us all.”
