Molly Hatchet Lead Singer Phil McCormack Dies at Age 58, Says Band

Phil McCormack of Molly Hatchet performs onstage during 2018 Stagecoach California's Country Music Festival at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif., on April 27, 2018. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach

The lead singer of Molly Hatchet, Phil McCormack, has died at age 58, according to local reports.

Another band he was involved with, The Roadducks, confirmed his death on April 27. He also performed with the band.

“Phil was a fabulous, singer, band mate, brother, and human being,” the Roadducks said. “Collectively we spent thousands of hours that turned into thousands of days together, creating an unbreakable bond few people are fortunate enough to ever experience.”

His cause of death was not revealed.

Molly Hatchet later confirmed his death in a statement to First Coast News.

“It is with great sorrow to announce the passing of our friend and band member, Phil McCormack,“ the band stated. ”Our condolences and prayers go out to his family during this time of loss. Phil’s contributions to Molly Hatchet were heard around the world. He will be missed but never forgotten.”

McCormack’s death comes 18 months after another Molly Hatchet band member, Dave Hlubek, died. He founded the band in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1971 after graduating from high school.

According to music website Blabbermouth, quoting a local radio station, his cause of death “looks like a heart attack.”

“Known for hits ‘Flirtin’ With Disaster,‘ ’Whiskey Man‘ and ’Gator Country,' the band has undergone numerous changes in its nearly four-and-a-half-decade history, including a brief split in the early 1990s,” according to Blabbermouth’s writeup of the classic rock group. “In recent years, fans have mourned the loss of several former bandmembers, including frontman Danny Joe Brown, who died in 2005; original guitarist Duane Roland in 2006; original drummer Bruce Crump in 2015; bassist Banner Thomas in April 2017, original guitarist Dave Hlubek in 2017; and frontman Jimmy Farrar in October 2018.”

Notable Celebrity Deaths in 2019

Nipsey Hussle

Nipsey Hussle and Lauren London in Los Angeles, Calif., on Feb. 7, 2019. The rapper was shot dead in late March. Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

Luke Perry

Undated file photo of Luke Perry. Newsmakers

Peter Tork

Peter Tork of the Monkees passed away at 77 in February 2019. Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

Albert Finney

British actor Albert Finney died in February 2019 at the age of 82. Lucy Nicholson/AFP/Getty Images

James Ingram

Longtime R&B singer James Ingram died in late January. Quincy Jones, a collaborator of his, wrote, “With that soulful, whisky sounding voice, James Ingram was simply magical ... every beautiful note that James sang pierced your essence and comfortably made itself at home.”

Singer James Ingram died at the age of 66 after a battle with brain cancer, according to reports on Jan. 29. Getty Images

Fatima Ali

“Top Chef” alum Fatima Ali died on Jan. 25, after a battle with terminal cancer. She was 29.

Former “Top Chef” contestant Bruce Kalman paid tribute to her: “It’s with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Fatima Ali today, as she has lost her battle with cancer,” he wrote.

“Top Chef” star Fatima Ali died at the age of 29 after battling a form of bone cancer, said her family. Instagram

Carol Channing

Carol Channing, whose career spanned decades on Broadway and on television, died at age 97. Publicist B. Harlan Boll said Channing died of natural causes early in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Jan. 15, 2019. Jim Cole/AP Photo, File

Bob Einstein

Bob Einstein in Hollywood, Calif., on June 27, 2018. Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Comedian and actor Bob Einstein died on Jan. 2 after a battle with cancer. He was 76.

Daryl Dragon

Daryl 'The Captain' Dragon beside his ex-wife, Toni Tennille, wearing his signature captain's hat. Hillel Italie/AP

Daryl Dragon, or “Captain,” of pop group Captain and Tennille, died on Jan. 2 of renal failure.