Tribute Concert For Former MANOWAR Guitarist ROSS 'THE BOSS' FRIEDMAN To Be Held In January 2027 In Brooklyn, New York

Members of the ROSS THE BOSS band, THE DICTATORS and THE SPINATRAS will pay tribute to Ross "The Boss" Friedman, a founding member of both MANOWAR and THE DICTATORS, at a special concert on Saturday, January 9, 2027 at The Meadows in Brooklyn, New York.

Ross's son Jesse comments: "Everyone who knew my Dad, Ross The Boss, needs to be at this show. If you know me, you knew him. Special performances and special guests will be at the show. Bring your friends and family. All ages welcome. Under 16 needs a legal guardian. I hope to see you all there."

ROSS THE BOSS vocalist Marc Lopes adds: "[This will be a] One-time event here in U.S. [It's] shaping up to be quite an epic event of jams with awesome guests, friends and family. [I] hope to see ya [t]here. And also looking to be the launch of tributes to the Bossman throughout 2027 all over the world. Time to Fukn KiLLLLLLLLLLiT …… ALL HAILZ"

Friedman died in March 2026 at the age of 72. His passing came a little over a month after it was announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS, also known as known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

On March 27, 2026, a post on Friedman's official social media announced his death.

"It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of the Bronx's own Ross 'The Boss' Friedman, who died last night after battling ALS," the caption read. "A legendary guitarist and beloved father, his music and spirit impacted fans around the world as much as you impacted him."

The caption continued: "We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support you all have shown throughout his career and especially these last few months.”

"His music meant everything to him & his guitar was his life's breath. This insidious disease took that away from him," the post added, referring to his ALS diagnosis. "His legacy with THE DICTATORS, MANOWAR, ROSS THE BOSS band and other collabs will live on forever in our hearts and ears."

Friedman announced his ALS diagnosis on February 9, 2026. In a press release at the time, he revealed that his diagnosis came after suffering "very minor strokes", as well as weakness in his hands and legs.

"It's difficult to know what lies ahead, and it crushes me not to be able to play guitar, but the outpouring of love has been so, so strong," Friedman said in a statement.

Ross recorded six albums with MANOWAR before leaving after 1988's "Kings Of Metal". His work with MANOWAR included such classic LPs as 1982's "Battle Hymns", 1983's "Into Glory Ride" and 1984's "Hail To England".

Ross was one of the pioneers of both punk rock and heavy metal. First crashing on the scene with THE DICTATORS and with such classic albums as 1975's "Go Girl Crazy!", 1977's "Manifest Destiny" and 1978's "Bloodbrothers", Ross helped trailblaze punk rock (just to put it all in perspective, "Go Girl Crazy!" arrived a full year before the RAMONES' debut, and two years before THE CLASH's and SEX PISTOLS' debuts). By the end of the '80s, Ross had reconnected with his DICTATORS bandmates in MANITOBA'S WILD KINGDOM, which served as a bridge between his love of punk and metal, as heard on the group's popular 1990 debut, "…And You?" Throughout the remainder of the decade, Ross also played with such groups as THE HELLACOPTERS and THE SPINATRAS, before THE DICTATORS reunited, which resulted in several new releases starting from the late '90s all the way through the early 21st century. Also around this time, Ross joined forces with former of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT drummer Albert Bouchard in the band BRAIN SURGEONS. With Ross's main focus turning to metal music at this time, two additional projects were launched — DEATH DEALER and his solo outfit, ROSS THE BOSS