Jimi Jamison, 63, whose soaring tenor powered many hits for the arena rock band Survivor, died Sunday night, the band confirmed Monday.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the band said: "The entire Survivor family is very shocked and saddened by the passing of our brother Jimi Jamison. Our thoughts, love and prayers go out to his family and friends." No cause of death was given, but TMZ quoted Jamison's booking agent as saying he died of a heart attack at his home in Memphis, Tennessee.
Jamison joined, left and rejoined Survivor many times after officially debuting with the band in 1984 for the single "The Moment of Truth," the theme song from the movie "The Karate Kid." His first album with Survivor was the platinum-selling album "Vital Signs," which spun off several hits, including "I Can't Hold Back," "High on You" and "The Search Is Over," which reached No. 4 on the Billboard charts. He also co-wrote and sang "I'm Always Here," the theme song from the TV series "Baywatch."
Survivor's biggest hit, "Eye of the Tiger" — which shot to popularity as part of the soundtrack for "Rocky III" — came in 1982, two years before Jamison joined the band. But he did do the vocals for another "Rocky"-related hit: "Burning Heart" from "Rocky IV" in 1985.
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— M. Alex Johnson
