Former Kiss guitarist dead at 51

Former Kiss guitarist Mark St. John died on Thursday morning (April 5th) at the age of 51, according to KNAC.com. The cause of death was a stroke. St. John, whose real name was Mark Norton, played on just one Kiss album, 1984's Animalize, which included the hit "Heaven's On Fire." He joined the band following the exit of guitarist Vinnie Vincent, who had replaced original axeman Ace Frehley. But St. John developed arthritis, which caused his hands and arms to swell and made him virtually unable to perform live. He only managed to play three shows on the Animalize tour before being replaced in late 1984 by Bruce Kulick.

Mark St. John was born in Hollywood, California, on February 7, 1956.

He began playing guitar in 1972, when he was a sophomore in high school.

St. John was involved in a few musical projects after his departure from Kiss, most notably White Tiger, and even demoed a few songs with original Kiss drummer Peter Criss in 1990. He reportedly also worked as a guitar instructor in the Los Angeles area.
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