Background Information
	Artist Name:	Steve Lee ✟
	Birth name:	Stefan Alois Lee
	Born:	August 5, 1963 Zurich, Switzerland
	Died:	October 5, 2010 (aged 47) Mesquite, Nevada, United States
	Genres:	Hard rock
	Occupation(s):	Musician, singer-songwriter, drummer, harmonica
	Years active:	1988-2010
	Associated acts Information
	GottHard« | Ayreon

Author Comments

I just learned about GottHard's« music on December 4, 2015. I had downloaded the video for - Let It be (Made in Switzerland) several years ago, but forget all about it, until I was doing some searching for video footage that I had taken of an old school house when I came across the video. I watched it several times and played it in the background while working when I decided it was time to find out who I was listening too.
GottHard has the sound that I have missed for such a very long time. The music, the way Steve Lee delivers his vocals, the guitars, the bass, the drums, everything that this band has, they did it right.
After listening to every album that the band released from 1992's Self Titled« to 2014's Bang«, I do not think that I found a bad song in the bunch. To think that I had not heard of this band in the past just blows my mind. Knowing that they came out around the time of the Grunge Movement, makes me sad really. They deserved to be bigger than what they were. I was heavy into watching MTV during the 80s and early 90s, and I do not think that I ever saw a video of their's, or if I did, it was one that I caught and never saw again.
The Internet has given us the ability to see and to hear what we would otherwise never had known about. And in this case, the internet has brought me to GottHard.

Finding out about the lead singer passing away in 2010 was right hard to take. I mean, I know that I have not listened to their music that much, but I feel that I have listened to them since the beginning. And the voice that Steve Has, is just simply incredible. And this page is a dedication to his legacy, his memory, and his music!

Death of Steve Lee

Steve Lee lost his life on October 5, 2010, while parked on the side of Interstate 15, 10 miles from Mesquite, Nevada when a semi-truck hit four of the parked motorcycles which one of the bikes flew through the air and struck Steve smashing him down to the ground. (Read more below) Member Statements«

Quotes About his person

"The world has lost one of its greatest rock singers: GOTTHARD frontman Steve Lee was killed accidentally during a motorcycle trip in the USA on Interstate 15 between Mesquite and Las Vegas and died at the scene.

"The GOTTHARD singer had flown to the U.S. with some biker friends just this weekend to fulfill a long-cherished dream for which he'd never had the time due to his heavy touring schedule for many years. It was to be two weeks through the States on a Harley-Davidson.

"The 21 Swiss bikers started their journey on Sunday on a total of 12 motorcycles. On Tuesday, October 5, about 50 miles from Las Vegas, the group had stopped at the roadside to put on their rain gear as it had started to rain. On the slippery road, the trailer of a passing truck began to skid. The driver attempted evasive action but his trailer clipped five of the motorcycles parked at the roadside; one of them hit Steve Lee. Rescue services attempted resuscitation but efforts were stopped after 20 minutes. At 16:13 local time, Steve Lee was pronounced dead.

"Among the passengers were GOTTHARD bassist Marc Lynn and Lee's girlfriend Brigitte Voss Balzarini.

"All other fellow riders were unharmed.

"Steve Lee was 48 years old.

"With Steve Lee, we not only lose one of the world's best rock voices but also an extraordinary personality.

"Despite his enormous success, the Ticino singer had retained a very subtle eye for detail and often impressed the people around him with his sensitive observation. Due to his personality, he had a serious outlook, without losing his sense of humor and lust for life.

"Steve Lee met his environment with respect but always had, in his gentle way, a very simple, personal touch. He understood like no one else how to enjoy without going too far - to him, alcohol and parties were things he met with level-headedness.

"The singer sold several million albums throughout his career with GOTTHARD, several of them reaching platinum, double or triple platinum status. And yet all this bears no relation to the human greatness of Steve Lee on a daily basis."

Memorial Service

A public memorial for GOTTHARD singer Steve Lee, who was killed in a motorcycle accident last week, will be held in Switzerland on October 17 at the Gotthard Pass Hospice at 10:00. A eulogy will be given by two Capucine monks at about 13:00.

Member Statements

The surviving members of GOTTHARD have released the following statement regarding their singer's death:

"On the afternoon of October 5th, 2010 our group, consisting of 22 male and female bikers on 12 Harley-Davidsons, was on its way from Las Vegas to St. George, Utah, in bright weather.

"About 15 miles from Mesquite, a severe thunderstorm began. One of the bikes started to have some technical problems with its ignition, so we stopped on the breakdown lane and switched on our warning lights. The last guy in the group was reminding us to be very careful with the traffic passing by, so we paid attention. At the same time it started to rain more heavily, so the group decided to put on rain gear.

"A truck was speeding towards the group. For some inexplicable reason, the very heavy truck crashed into several of our bikes. The impact was so severe that one of the bikes was thrown into the air, hit Steve and crushed him to the ground. The group immediately secured the accident area and started to give him first aid.

"At the same time we dialed the emergency number 911 and after a few minutes, the first police car arrived. The patrolman had brought a defibrillator and, with our help, he immediately started to apply it. In the meantime, in the pouring rain, we all started working together to try to save Steve's life. A couple of minutes later, a second police car arrived and brought a complete set of first aid equipment. A helicopter also arrived. During all that time resuscitation attempts were maintained. After long minutes of trying, the doctor had to confirm that Steve was dead.

"Miraculously, no other person in the group was injured. We are all aware that it could have been any one of us - and it could have even been the whole group.

"Together with the local police, our tour guides organized the transport for us all to a nearby hotel in Mesquite. The hotel offered us a quiet room in which we could mourn, talk to each other and cry together.

"We all agree that the tour guides prepared and handled our trip very professionally. Our group still trusts the guides 100%.

"Steve's loss is an incredible tragedy for all of us. Together we are trying to get over all the grieving and the pain and to be there for each other. It is a very hard time for all of us.

"Steve Lee's lifelong dream to drive just once through the USA, on a Harley, should have come true during these two weeks. After we started our trip to Los Angeles, we passed Death Valley and Las Vegas. Our next stop would have been St. George in Utah, from where we had planned to head for Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Monument Valley. This was to have been the place where Steve planned to surprise [his longtime girlfriend] Brigitte [Voss-Balzarini] with some very special Indian jewelry. To show her Las Vegas and to enjoy together the special atmosphere there was one of his greatest wishes for the trip."

Lee, who had a British father and Swiss mother, was 47 years old.