Bob Bryar, former My Chemical Romance drummer, dead at 44

Bob Bryar, the former drummer for famed rock band My Chemical Romance, has died. He was 44.

No cause of death or further information on Bryar’s passing was immediately available, but a spokesperson for the band confirmed his death in a statement shared with NBC News.

"The band asks for your patience and understanding as they process the news of Bob’s passing," the spokesperson said.

TMZ was the first to report the news of the death.

Bryar was My Chemical Romance's longest serving drummer, playing with the band from 2004 to 2010, during which time they released their hit album "The Black Parade" in 2006.

He was working as a sound engineer for The Used when he met the members of My Chemical Romance while on tour in 2004.

He would then leave the tour with The Used to replace Matt Pelissier as drummer, shortly after My Chemical Romance released their second album, "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge," according to Billboard.

“I left a very good touring gig where I was tour managing and doing sound. I left that job to join a band that was filthy, had s----- gear, a smashed-up, smoking, death-trap van and was poor,” Bryar told the Alternative Press in a 2016 interview. “They smelled bad, too. I was so happy to receive the offer.”

He continued: “Long before we recorded ‘Welcome To The Black Parade,’ I knew that [MCR] were special and I wanted in. I wanted to help evolve the band and be able to shred with them every night.”

Bryar told the outlet that one of his best memories with My Chemical Romance was playing a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.

“I never thought that would ever happen to me, and I still can’t believe that was for real,” he said.

Bryar worked with the band on their fourth album, "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys," but left before its 2010 release, Billboard reported.

Ten years after the release of "The Black Parade," Bryar told the Alternative Press he hadn't listened to the album in a while because the "memories that come along with listening to it are too much for me."

"You won't find one My Chem item in my house. Not one," he told the outlet in 2016, adding that he didn't "need to be bummed out" every day from "hearing or seeing things relating to something that I thought would last forever."

Bryar retired from drumming in 2021, E! News reported.

"I have too many wrist issues, I’m too old, too fat, and it’s time for something new," he said in a tweet at the time, according to radio network ABC Audio.

My Chemical Romance went on to break up in 2013, before getting back together — without Bryar — in 2019. They're set to return to the stage next summer across North America on the "Long Live The Black Parade" tour. 

This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:

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