LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The community is mourning the death of one of the greatest drummers in rock history and fellow Bluegrass native James Kottak.
Kottak is best known for his time playing in the hard rock bands Scorpions and Kingdom Come. He died on Jan. 9 in his Louisville home. He was 61.
Kottak's former bandmates in Scorpions remembered the musician's death in a Facebook post Tuesday.
"Very sad news … our dear friend and Drummer for 20 years James Kottak has passed at the age of 61," the band wrote alongside a black-and-white image of Kottak. "James was a wonderful human being , a great musician and loving family man … he was our Brother from another Mother and will be truly missed . … Rock ‘n Roll Forever. RIP James."
His cause of death is currently unknown.
"He had this incredible gift of music," Jeff Jarboe, member and drummer/vocalist of the Wulfe Bros. and The Monarchs, said. "Being able to figure out stuff and his skill set as a drummer."
Kottak attended the University of Louisville on a music scholarship and was in the marching band, according to his obituary. At the age of 14, he started playing drums professionally in local and regional rock bands until his mid 20s when he moved to Los Angeles.
In 1987, he joined Kingdom Come and performed with them from 1987 to 1989 and again from 2018 to his death in 2024.
He joined the German hard rock band Scorpions in 1996 and performed with them for over 20 years. Some of his biggest hits with the Scorpions -generating hundreds of millions of streams - include "Wind of Change", "Rock You Like A Hurricane," and "Still Loving You."
"This was a tattoo on his back," Max Maxwell, drummer for The Crashers, said holding up a t-shirt of his tattoo that said 'Rock & Roll Forever'. "When he would do his drum solo, he'd stand up on his bass drums and turn around and people would see that. There was a lot of Scorpion fans that had that same tattoo tattooed on their back."
Kottak was an international star, but he had major influence in his hometown of Louisville. As a teen, Kottak played at the Mercurios Music and Resto Bar and other businesses in the area.
"I met James at the Heartwood Tavern and he was playing drums. He was 16 or 17 years old," Wayne "Shag" Lush, fellow performer/friend, said. "I knew he was different. I knew he was a star."
"He was such a great player," Jarboe said. "Although he's really known, he's internationally known as a hard rock drummer and fabulous hard rock drummer, James could play anything."
Friends in the music industry said Kottak set the standard.
"Every city had their top two guys back in the 80s," Jarboe said. "There was no question that James was the top dog."
Kottak was married to Rock legend Tommy Lee's sister, Athena Lee, from 1996-2010. Their blended family consisted of two sons and a daughter, Matthew, Miles, and Tobi.
"He was a humble man," Shag said. "He loved his family. He was dedicated to his music, and he was dedicated to all his friends."
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