Tony Clarkin, Bob Catley, Mark Stanway (Magnum)
“My lasting memory of Steve will always be of him singing on stage with Magnum, I’d written a song called “On Chrismas Day” for a new album but no-one could reach the high harmony so I asked Steve if he would sing it live on stage on a few shows with us so I could see what it sounded like, He did it on about 4 or 5 shows and it was a great help to us. Of course later on Gotthard went on to bigger and bigger things. Steve will be missed a lot in the music world and our thoughts go out to his family and friends.”
Klaus Meine (Scorpions)
“When our former manager, Uwe Block , arranged a dinner with Scorpions and Gotthard in Zürich back in the nineties, I had a chance to talk to Steve about the stuff that just singers talk about ….. trashed vocal Chords … Studio Sessions … the crazy Life on the road ….. of course, we lived and shared the same Rock’n Roll Dream. He was not only an amazing Singer / Artist, but also a very nice human being ……. his voice lives on forever in the hearts of his fans ….. my thoughts and prayers are with his family and his bandmates ….. RIP Steve ….. we’ll miss you …”
Henry Maske
„Ich will es nicht glauben. Wir hatten ein so schönes Gespräch nach dem Fußballevent. Gerade auch mit Steve haben wir über unser gemeinsames Erlebnis bei dem Dreh des Films „Max Schmeling“ in Zagreb gesprochen. Wir haben uns mit einem sehr guten Gefühl voneinander verabschiedet. Jetzt bleibt auch mir nur meine tief empfundene Anteilnahme an seine Angehörigen und Freunde auszusprechen. Ich wünsche Ihnen all die erforderliche Kraft, die jetzt nötig ist.“
Joey Tempest, John Norum, John Leven, Mic Michaeli, Ian Haughland (Europe)
“Steve Lee was a friendly soul with a great rock voice.
Our heart goes out to his family, bandmates, friends and Gotthard fans.
We have very fond memories of touring together in Germany. “
Wolf Hoffmann (Accept)
“Steve ist nicht mehr da und ich bin sicher, jeder ist sprachlos und hilflos in solchen Situationen! Wir haben die Karriere und vor allem eben auch den Einfluss des Künstlers STEVE LEE bei GOTTHARD natürlich mitbekommen!
Was er hinterlassen hat, muss alle trösten und macht ihn unsterblich! Alle die Steve liebten, werden seine Persönlichkeit und sein Wirken in GOTTHARDS Musik und vor allem in seiner Stimme wiederfinden! He will ROCK ON forever!“
Danny Vaughn (Tyketto)
“It’s not often that you come across someone that no one has a bad word for. Especially not in our business. But everyone liked and respected Steve. The word that got used so often in people’s description of him is “Gentleman”. I’ll bet that is something he was proud of. I know I would be. From a professional standpoint I can only say that he was one hell of a good singer. Note perfect in his live performances.
Musicians, particularly singers, aren’t much known for their camaraderie but there is still a fraternity of sorts amongst us as fellow players. Speaking as a member of that fraternity, I send my thoughts and prayers out to his family and his girlfriend and to his many fans that are very shaken by his sad, untimely death.”
Ronnie Atkins (Pretty Maids)
“It’s always very sad and tragic when someone’s suddenly being taken away under such terrifying circumstances. However he’s great voice and legacy will still stay strong in the minds of fans and those who hold him dear.
My condolences goes to his family. R.I.P.”
Marco Wriedt (AXXIS)
„Ich kann es immer noch nicht glauben. Ich habe noch auf dem „Rock Of Ages Festival“ mit Steve gesprochen und in zwei Wochen hätten wir zusammen mit GOTTHARD ein paar Konzerte gespielt. Die Vorfreude war extrem groß. Steve gehörte für mich zu den wenigen Leuten, die den „Classic Rock“ im neuen Jahrtausend unglaublich authentisch rübergebracht haben. Seine Stimme, sein Charisma und Auftreten haben ihn auch in Zeiten wo Rock Musik nicht sonderlich populär war, nach ganz oben gebracht und wer schafft das schon? Danke für alles Steve. Mein Beileid geht an die Familie, Freunde und Band.“
Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard/Thin Lizzy)
“I am saddened and shocked to learn of Steve’s untimely passing. My heartfelt condolences to his family and many friends. The music lives on.“
Marc Storace (Krokus)
„Dear Steve,
It felt good to know you, working was great!
You left us so early, my tears fell like rain.
The memories I treasure, like the songs that you sang,
As you smile down from heaven, on your folks and your band.
Rest In Peace brother.“
David Readman (Pink Cream 69)
“ After hearing this devastating news two days ago, a dark cloud has been hanging over our heads. The world has lost one of the greatest rock singers. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
Bernhard Weiss (Axxis)
„Wir sind tief betroffen über dieses tragische Unglück. Mit Steve geht eine der besten Rockstimmen und einer der angenehmsten Menschen der Szene von uns. Es ist kaum zu fassen.
Wir wünschen der Familie, allen Angehörigen und der Band viel Kraft in dieser schwierigen Zeit.
PS. Mit dem Tode eines Menschen verliert man vieles – aber niemals, die mit ihm verbrachte Zeit.“
Roger Glover (Deep Purple)
“I was saddened by the tragic and untimely death of Steve Lee, the singer of Gotthard, a band that we have worked with many times over the years. He was passionate about his singing and had a vitality that brightened any room. This is a huge loss. Our thoughts go out to Brigitte, his family, and his band mates.”
Steve Morse (Deep Purple)
“Steve Lee was one of those guys that I just had an instant connection with. He was very talented musically, and more importantly, to me, he was always a warm, friendly person backstage. People who aren’t in the music business have lots of different images in their mind of the way musicians behave. Steve was a sensible, intelligent guy who happened to be a great singer in a successful band, the kind of guy that everyone liked. To me, that’s rare enough to be noteworthy! We enjoyed touring with you Steve, and will miss you!”
Mike Tramp (White Lion)
“It is always sad when anyone you know are suddenly taken away.
When at the same time it is a person who brought so much happiness to people through his voice and music, it is even sadder, and there are no words to express.
One more soldier of rock’n’roll enters the great hallowed hall.
R.I.P Steve, we’ll miss you.”
Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia)
“When I heard the painful news about the untimely passing of my record-label mate Steve Lee I was as shocked as everybody else. Steve was one of the best singers in today’s music scene, technically and emotionally. Basically every vocalist that I know has always admired Steve. And I am sure everybody will always admire and remember him as one of the greatest. Steve and I were in touch less than a year ago because we had planned to record some vocal duets for the latest Avantasia album, but due to schedule problems I suggested to put the idea on the backburner and do it on a future album instead. Unfortunately this will never happen in this life anymore! And it terribly reminds us of the fact that all of us are just granted a certain time down here. It reminds us not to waste time and follow our dreams instead of waiting too long. I assume that is what Steve did, the last thing he did was making a dream come true, when he set off on the motorcycle trip across the Western USA. That’s when destiny decided that it was time for Steve to leave us and go ahead on this journey that we all have to make. It all seems so very unfair, it makes us sad and angry, but all we can do is accept it; and have faith and hope that whatever happens makes sense in a bigger scope, in a plan that we human beings can not comprehend. The world has lost a great vocalist, rest in piece – Steve Lee! I offer my sincere condolences to his loved ones and the remaining members of Gotthard. “
David Coverdale (Whitesnake)
“I’m very saddened to hear of the tragic loss of this fine, talented man…My thoughts & prayers are with his family, his friends & his fans…”
Arjen A. Lucassen (Ayeron, Star One, Guilt Machine)
“I still can’t believe it…guess I just don’t want to…it’s so unreal. This could not have happened to a nicer guy. I met Steve for the first time back in the eighties when we played in Italy with Vengeance, my band at the time.
He still was a drummer and a goldsmith back then and I immediately recognized his amazing vocal talent after I heard him sing on a demo they gave me. A bit later he stayed at my house for some days because I asked him to sing in my band, but (luckily) he choose to form his own band with Leo, later called Gotthard. Some years ago we met again because he came to my studio in Holland and sang on one of my Ayreon albums. His manager back then only wanted him to sing on 4 tracks, but once Steve got going there was no stopping him and in the end he sang on 8 tracks! I still remember, we started at 10 in the morning and his voice was perfect, amazing… We had such a great time here, he is one of the nicest guys I’ve worked with. I wish lots of strength to his wife, family and closest friends. The world will miss him, a great singer and a great person…”
Claus Lessmann (Bonfire)
„Es ist schwer, die Worte zu finden, die das beschreiben was ich fühle.
Steve Lee lebt nicht mehr.
Er ist nicht mehr unter uns.
Er ist nicht mehr bei uns …weg …von uns gegangen …er ist tot…
Unfassbar.
Es ist nicht so wie beim Texte schreiben, wo man eine gewisse Distanz wahren kann und die Worte einfach herum jonglieren kann, bis es passt.
Irgendwie herrscht völlige Leere.
Die Worte wollen einfach nicht kommen, die auf diese Situation passen.
Nichts passt.
Alles klingt so unecht… denn Worte kennen leider keine Tränen.
Die Nachricht von seinem Tod traf mich, wie so viele von Euch, völlig unerwartet, mitten ins Herz und in die Seele.
Ich war völlig fassungslos, als ich davon erfuhr.
Steve war nicht nur ein begnadeter Sänger, mit einer einzigartigen Stimme, sondern auch ein sehr einfühlsamer Zuhörer.
In unserem Business fehlt uns leider zu oft die Zeit und auch das Vertrauen, solche Gefühle zu vertiefen.
Doch was uns bleibt, ist die Erinnerung
In meinen Gedanken reich’ ich Dir die Hand zu einem letzten Gruss
und ich wünsche Dir Gottes Segen und seine Gnade in einer neuen Welt.
Ich werde Dich nie vergessen.
Farewell Steve
Dein Freund im Herzen, Kollege und Fan.“
Lenny Wolf (Kingdom Come)
“Tragic happenings often don’t touch me too much from the distance, but this really made me drop some tears.
What can I say…..?!?!?! Unbelievable! It seems that the good guys leave us earlier. Just recently Ronnie James Dio and now him.
What is really making me angry is that fucking truck driver who obviously did not handle his truck! 🙁 ! I drove that route many times myself. I remember taking my Harley from LA down those highways including route 66. Almost hit a huge deer myself driving late at night. Oh man !!!! That made me “slow down my guts” a lot. But in his case, stopping to dress safely and bang, life is over, ……. unreal.
I remember him being one of the true charming and nice guys who did not just sweet talk you because is was expected. I think his “nature” was focused and very respectful towards other people.
I keep thinking about his poor girlfriend and the boys from the band. That must be a life changing shocker:-(
Of course, as we all know, life will go on, but for many people it will never be the same.”
Should there be a holy kingdom, I hope he’ll be happy, laughing at our struggle dealing with our “often silly” issues called, living life!”