Reports surfaced yesterday that Ronnie Montrose died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.31-percent -- nearly four times the legal limit for driving in some states -- at the time of his death, according to the San Mateo County coroner.

The 64-year-old guitarist and namesake of the band Montrose was found dead on March 3rd in the living room of his Brisbane home holding an unregistered .38-caliber revolver, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. In 2007, Montrose revealed he had prostate cancer, but he announced he was in remission two years later. After his death, some speculated that he had succumbed to the disease.

A statement was posted on Montrose's official website, reading, "By now, the devastating truth of Ronnie's death is public knowledge. We hope you can understand why we wanted to keep this news a private family matter for as long as possible." --Craig Rosen

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's class of 2012 will be inducted Saturday in Cleveland. Guns N' Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Donovan, Laura Nyro, The Small Faces/Faces and Beastie Boys are the main performers going in this year. Today we preview Beastie Boys:

  • They'll be inducted by Chuck D of Public Enemy
  • It's not yet known which members will attend, whether they'll perform, or which, if any, of the four DJs they've had will be inducted with them.
  • They're the third hip-hop group in the Hall, following Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (inducted in 2007) and Run DMC (2009).
  • They comprise Mike Diamond (Mike D), Adam Yauch (MCA), Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock).
  • They started in 1979 as New York City teenagers with the idea of becoming hardcore punk band, though they didn't play their first gig as Beastie Boys until August 1981. They were originally a quartet, with Diamond, Yauch, guitarist John Berry and drummer Kate Schellenbach, who later played in Luscious Jackson. Horovitz joined in 1982, replacing Berry.
  • Current DJ Mixmaster Mike (Michael Schwartz) is the band's fourth. Their first was DJ Double R, also known as Rick Rubin, the producer who co-founded Def Jam Records and is now co-President of Columbia Records. He was followed by Dr. Dre (no, not THAT Dr. Dre, but Andre Brown, who teamed with Ed Lover on Yo! MTV Raps) and DJ Hurricane (Wendell Fite).
  • They've recorded eight albums, starting with 1986's License to Ill, the first of their four albums to top the Billboard 200. Ill Communication, Hello Nasty and To the Five Boroughs also went to number-one.