The Knack's Doug Fieger Dies

Doug Fieger, former frontman for influential New Wave rockers The Knack, has died aged 57.

Fieger fronted the band during their peak from 1978-82 and co-wrote the band’s biggest hit, ‘My Sharona.’

Fieger former The Knack in 1978 after playing in a couple of moderately successful bands, including the Detroit band Sky and playing bass very briefly in German prog band Triumvirat.

The Knack hit the ground running with their first album, ‘Get The Knack’ which contained the band’s biggest hit. (‘My Sharona’ was number 1 in the US for six weeks and was the biggest hit of 1979 in North America). The album went on to sell around six million copies worldwide.

Their star quickly faded, though, with the band’s second album failing to match the success of their first and then their third album failing to register in the charts at all.

The band split in 1982 soon after the release of their third album the year before, and although they reformed again in 1986 for another six years and periodically after that their pinnacle remained in that infectious 1979 hit single.

In 2005 Fieger was diagnosed with lung cancer and then was treated for two brain tumours in 2006. He managed to fight the disease for five years until yesterday when he sadly passed away in LA.

"Everybody knows they're going sooner or later. I don't know any better than anyone else when I'm going." Fieger had told the Detroit News in January, "I've had 10 great lives. And I expect to have some more. I don't feel cheated in any way, shape or form."

A statement on the Knack's official site reads simply: "Our hearts are broken, we will miss you, Doug."

Doug Fieger, 1952 – 2010.