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Peter Steele pictured in the mid-1990s

Peter Steele (born Peter Ratajczyk^[1][2] on January 4, 1962 in Brooklyn, New York, USA) is the lead singer, bassist, and composer for the gothic-doom band Type O Negative. He is a resident of Brooklyn, New York.

Steele's bass voice sets much of the mood for Type O Negative's brooding melodies. Before joining Type O Negative, Steele played for heavy metal group Fallout, and the thrash metal band Carnivore. His bass playing is another cornerstone of the Type O sound. He uses heavy effects to alter his sound.

Steele is almost as famous for his build as he is for his music. He stands approximately 6'7" tall, and leaves it to no one's imagination that he works out quite strenuously. He is often called Lurch by friends, as he also has an exceptionally deep voice (this would explain the severe tuning down apparent in many Type O Negative songs).

In August 1995, Steele posed nude for Playgirl magazine. He later claimed regret for doing so after discovering that only 23% of Playgirl subscribers are female [1].

Steele is known equally well for both his humour and serious depression. In the Type O Negative home video, "After Dark", he lets viewers in on the fact that he takes Prozac for his condition. The songs "Unsuccessfully Coping with the Natural Beauty of Infidelity" and "Zero Tolerance" were both written about a girlfriend he loved very deeply who had cheated on him.

There were unconfirmed rumors of Steele's death after the band website posted an image of a tombstone bearing his name and the dates 1962-2005. [2] According to an article dated May 14th, 2005, Steele was not dead; the gag was related to the release of the band's next album, their first for SPV Records. The website discontinued the tombstone picture in October 2005. However, there was no denying that Steele disappeared for quite a while, with no word from the band or management as to where he was or what had happened to him. Rumors of his death, terminal illness and other speculations increased as months passed with no information, but the mystery was recently dispelled with the release of the DVD "The World of Type O Negative: Symphony for the Devil", which includes an interview in which Steele briefly mentions his incarceration in Riker's Island and "the psych ward at King's County Hospital", both stints apparently caused by his heavy use of cocaine and alcohol, for which he also served time on probation.

In May 2006, professional poker player Phil Hellmuth announced that he would appear on an upcoming season of VH1's The Surreal Life, alongside Steele and others. Peter soon stated he would not be on the series.

1. ^ http://www.decibelmagazine.com/features/apr2007/typeonegative.aspx
2. ^ Steele has offered abiguous response to this name suggestion:

   Tangra Mega Rock: In Internet-based sources like Wikipedia, for example, we can read that your real name is Peter Ratajczyk. Is this true?

   Peter Steele: Let me just say one thing, ok? I do not mean to offend you, but... Fuck Wikipedia! May I speak freely, sir?

   Tangra Mega Rock: Of course.

   Peter Steele: I believe this is an extremely sad time in human history. With all this technology we have and all the knowledge we can gain through computers, people anonymously can destroy another person. By rumors. Excuse my language, but this is fucking disgusting!

   TYPE O NEGATIVE Frontman On Internet: 'People Can Anonymously Destroy Another Person' - Apr. 2, 2007

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Peter Steele

• Peter Steele at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Type O Negative web site
• A link to Peter Steele Type O footage as well as their appearance on Howard Stern