TMZ is reporting tonight that one-time Survivor and Cobra frontman Jimi Jamison has died at the age of 63. The singer, who suffered a fatal heart attack on August 31, is perhaps best known for his work on soundtracks and television shows, as with Survivor Jamison provided the vocals on Rocky IV montage scene “Burning Heart,” as well as “The Moment of Truth” from The Karate Kid. He also recorded “I’m Always Here” as a solo artist, which became the theme song from TV series Baywatch.
Though he sang with Survivor from 1984 to 1988, Jamison actually joined the band right after they made it big with “Eye Of The Tiger” from Rocky III. From Rolling Stone:
Jamison joined Survivor after their then-lead singer, David Bickler, was forced to leave the group after developing polyps on his vocal chords shortly after Survivor recorded their biggest hit, the Grammy-winning Rocky III cut “Eye of the Tiger.” In 1984, following the dissolution of Cobra, Jamison stepped in as Survivor lead singer, recording three albums with the band, 1984’s Vital Signs, 1986’s When Seconds Count and 1988’s Too Hot to Sleep. Survivor disbanded in 1989, but reformed in 1993 with Bickler back at the microphone. Jamison would eventually rejoin Survivor in 2000 for another six years.
Rolling Stone notes that Jamison and Survivor just performed a concert in Morgan Hill, California on August 30, and a new tour was set to begin next week in Colorado. The band has not made any public statements about the singer’s sudden death.
Below is a sampling of Jamison’s work. In Rocky IV, “Burning Heart” pairs with John Cafferty’s “Hearts On Fire” to provide some of the best ’80s montage scene sounds of the decade, and both are the reason why the Sylvester Stallone film is the greatest music video ever made.
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