Donnie Iris, the Pittsburgh musician known for his time in the bands the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry, has passed away. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Iris passed away on Monday after battling bladder cancer for years. Iris was 83.

Donnie Iris was born Dominic Ierace, and he grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. His mother had been a big-band singer, and he sang at weddings and entered talent contests as a kid. He fell in love with rock 'n' roll, taught himself guitar and drums, and formed a high-school doo-wop group called the Fabutons. He also formed and led a couple of bands while studying at Slippery Rock State College. In the mid-'60s, he formed the Jaggerz, who started off as a regional cover band before starting to write their own songs and releasing the 1969 debut album Introducing The Jaggerz .…