Jimi Jamison, the lead singer of Eighties rock bands Cobra and Survivor, passed away August 31 after suffering a heart attack, TMZ reports. He was 63. Jamison’s booking manager confirmed to TMZ that the former Survivor singer had died. Jamison served as Survivor’s lead singer from 1984 until 1988, proving the vocals for the band’s hits like “The Moment of Truth” from The Karate Kid, “Is This Love,” and “Burning Heart” from Rocky IV. As a solo artist, he recorded the track “I’m Always Here,” which became the memorable theme song for the TV series Baywatch.
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.
In the Nineties, the band was mired in legal issues as Jamison toured under the Survivor moniker even though his former bandmates, who had reunited with Bickler, also performed as Survivor. This lead to lawsuits between the two groups, which weren’t resolved until guitarist Frankie Sullivan assumed ownership of the Survivor name. The band eventually made amends and, in recent years, Survivor toured with both Jamison and Bickler.
At press time, neither Survivor’s Twitter nor Facebook accounts had commented on Jamison’s death. The band had performed in Morgan Hill, California on August 30. They were scheduled to begin another tour on September 12 in Parker, Colorado.
