Longtime TWISTED SISTER, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST Bodyguard Salvatore Valvo Passes
December 2, 2008, 16 years ago
Salvatore Valvo, 53, of Annadale, a longtime bodyguard and security specialist for heavy metal band TWISTED SISTER, IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST died Monday at Staten Island University Hospital South of complications from leukemia and diabetes.
Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Valvo lived most of his young and adult life on Staten Island, where he attended Tottenville High School. Through his work for Twisted Sister and other famous rock bands and artists like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Frank Zappa, however, Mr. Valvo had the chance to travel all over the world.
"He was my oldest brother, he taught me a lot," said Richard Valvo. "Sal was known world-wide. He had friends in Germany--all over the place. He was quite the ladies man."When he wasn't working security for Twisted Sister, Mr. Valvo loved to ride his '66 Electra Glide Harley Davidson motorcycle, make his own fresh mozzarella, and spend time with his two cats. Family members remember him as an accomplished amateur chef, who for a short time in the 1980s owned his own catering business.
"Sal is such an onion. On the outside he's this huge guy - a monster - but you peel back the layers and you find out he's a ... guy who also wrote poetry," Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider told the Advance in September. "He's lethal though. We had this song off our first record called 'Destroyer.' I always kind of think of Sal when we play that song."In addition to his brother Richard, Mr. Valvo is survived by his wife of two months, Deborah Bain Valvo; and two brothers, Nicholas and Paul.
Funeral arrangements, including direct cremation, are being handled by Scamardella Funeral Home, West Brighton.
(Thanks Ben Johnson from Silive.com.
