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Warrant Rocker Jani Lane Found Dead in Valley Hotel, LAPD Investigate
Rocker Jani Lane in recent years
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Jani Lane, the 47-year-old frontman of 80s hair band Warrant was found dead yesterday in a hotel in Woodland Hills, and the Los Angeles Police Department has launched an investigation into the cause of death.
Lane, born John Kennedy Oswald in Akron, Ohio, changed his name when he was starting out in the music scene in the early 1980s. He soon moved to Los Angeles where he eventually formed the band Warrant, whose biggest hit was undoubtedly the sexy heavy metal anthem "Cherry Pie." He left the band in 2004, and though he returned briefly, has focused on his solo work and other endeavors since 2008.
The LAPD have released very little information about the circumstances surrounding Lane's death. They outline the discovery of his body in an emailed news release:
On August 11, 2011, patrol officers from Topanga station responded to a 9-1-1call of a death investigation in Woodland Hills. At around 5:30 p.m., Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics arrived to the 20100 block
of Ventura Boulevard, immediately followed by Topanga Area officers. When emergency personnel arrived, the Fire Department pronounced the death of a 47-year-old man, later identified as Jani Lane, the lead singer of the popular rock band Warrant.
The cause of death is unknown and the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office is conducting an investigation into Mr. Lane’s death.
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