TWISTED SISTER To Announce Future Plans Next Week

The surviving members of TWISTED SISTER will reveal their future plans next week — less than fourteen days since the passing of the band's drummer, Anthony Jude "A.J." Pero.

The band posted a new message to its Facebook page along with the above photo of singer Dee Snider, guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda and bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza.

"After two very emotional days with the amazing Pero family and close friends to honor of our brother, A.J. Pero, we met to plan our future," the group wrote. "Those plans will be made official next week.

"The band and the Pero family thank our fans from around the world for their love and support during this very tough time."

Pero died on March 20 at the age of 55. He was on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB at the time. After members of that group failed to rouse him on their tour bus, he was taken to a Poughkeepsie, New York hospital and pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.

A couple of days after Pero's death, Snider told a TMZ cameraman that TWISTED SISTER would "probably" would keep playing, "for [A.J.'s] family, because his family will benefit from us playing, financially."

French sounded less certain about the band's future when he told radio host Eddie Trunk on March 23 that "it may be time" for TWISTED SISTER to call its quits in 2016 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of French, Snider and Ojeda first playing together. He said: "We need to look at this and say to ourselves, as a live, breathing entity, on which our reputation totally rests on — being a great live act — how do we honor that history? And how do we honor A.J.? And how do we honor the fans' loyalty? And I think you know me and Dee and the band enough to know that we are totally realistic and genuine when it comes to our relationship with our fans."

Pero joined TWISTED SISTER in 1982, leaving the band in 1986 but returning in 1997. He remained a member of the group, which has toured on and off over the past 15 years, to this day. He played drums on six of the group's seven studio albums, except for 1987's "Love Is For Suckers".

TWISTED SISTER rose to prominence from the New York club scene in the early 1980s. Their biggest album, 1984's "Stay Hungry", contained the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock".

In addition to touring with TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, Pero also recently played with former and current members of IRON MAIDEN and DISTURBED in a band called THE FOUNDRY. He also hosted drum clinics and seminars.