Key Takeaways

• Legacy: Ike Willis was a prominent vocalist in Frank Zappa’s band for nearly a decade.
• Health Battle: He publicly shared his struggle with prostate cancer starting in 2021.
• Collaboration: Willis began working with Zappa after meeting him at a concert in 1977.
• Tribute: Fellow musician Chad Wackerman praised Willis for his creativity and talent.

Ike Willis, the singer who spent nearly a decade in Frank Zappa’s band, died of unspecified causes on Sunday at the age of 70.

The news was reported on social media by multiple sources, including Willis’ former Zappa bandmate drummer Chad Wackerman. Willis had previously announced his battle with prostate cancer in 2021.

Willis was a student at St. Louis’ Washington University when he met Zappa at a concert in 1977. The aspiring musician offered his services as a vocalist and later auditioned for Zappa in Los Angeles. That began a collaboration that ran for close to a decade, with Willis recording and touring with Zappa’s band.

READ MORE: Frank Zappa Albums Ranked

Willis’ first project with Zappa was the three-part rock opera Joe’s Garage, released in 1979. He also appeared on Tinseltown Rebellion (1981), You Are What You Is (1981), Ship Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Witch (1982), The Man From Utopia (1983), Them or Us (1984), Thing-Fish (1984) and Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention (1985). He also played rhythm guitar on the trio of Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar albums.

Willis was a mainstay of Zappa’s touring band during this era as well, taking time off in 1981 and 1982 to spend time with his newborn children.

In the latter part of his career, Willis toured with various Zappa tribute acts and performed his original material in the Ike Willis Band. “After Frank passed on, the audiences are so thankful and so grateful,” Willis told JamBase in 2022. “I miss him so much. Even I have to have my Frank fix, you know what I’m saying? I miss playing this stuff.”

In his tribute on social media, Wackerman described Willis as “so much fun to be around.” “His ability to be creative and humorous gave Frank so much joy onstage,” Wackerman continued. “He was a talented guitarist, but more than that, he was one of the most incredible singers I have had the honor to work with. Some nights onstage, his singing would give me chills.”

Watch Ike Willis Perform ‘I Am the Walrus’ With Frank Zappa