As previously reported, CRIMSON GLORY frontman Midnight (real name John Patrick McDonald Jr.) passed away on Wednesday, July 8th at 3:30am EST due to kidney and liver failure at the age of 47. In an exclusive in-depth interview with BW&BK; scribe Carl Begai, guitarist Jon Drenning discussed Midnight's passing, the band's legacy and their upcoming September 11th ProgPower USA show as a tribute to Midnight. Following is a brief excerpt from the story, due to published in full next week.

Drenning: "Losing Midnight came as a big shock to us. His health had been up and down, and I received a phone call from Ben Jackson saying that he'd received a call saying Midnight was in the hospital and that he wasn't doing very well. We went there immediately and spent the afternoon with him until we had to leave, when visiting hours were over. Only family members were allowed to remain and he passed away that night."

"It was very sudden. Midnight had been healthier than ever, he'd been living with a lady that was very good for him, he'd been eating well and celebrating with friends, recording lots of new music. He was healthier than he'd been in a while, so it was a surprise he got sick like he did."
"I think it's very important that I clarify something: Midnight DID NOT die from drinking himself to death like people have been saying. He suffered from an aneurysm in his stomach. He was bleeding internally for four days. Midnight was very stubborn about going to the doctor. His girlfriend took him to the hospital, to the emergency room, because he was coughing up blood and she was worried about him, and he wouldn't go in. He said, 'Don't worry, I'll be fine...' I guess it had happened before and just went away."
"Midnight had been known for years for drinking too much. That was always his crutch. However, he'd been healthy in his last days. He ruptured a blood vessel in his stomach - he could have done it singing, he could have done it coughing - and was bleeding internally. When he finally went to the hospital four days later there was so much blood in his stomach they couldn't figure out where the bleeding was coming from. Because they couldn't stop it, that's why his kidney and liver shut down. When there's a massive loss of blood that's what happens; the major organs shut down one at a time. He went into a coma and they couldn't get him back."
"This all could have been avoided if he'd gone to the doctor when he first started having the symptoms, any time within those four days prior to his death. He'd be alive today. It's very shocking that it happened so suddenly. His own stubbornness determined his fate."
"Midnight lived a lifetime in 47 years. He was very eccentric, he was a beautiful person. He loved people, he loved his fans. He wanted to be a singer, a painter, a poet. That's what he cared about, and as long as he was doing that he was happy."

Watch for the in-depth interview, which will also feature discussion on the band's trademark silver masks, the truth behind the Strange & Beautiful album, and exclusive pictures provided by Drenning.