James Kottak dies at 61: Ex Scorpions and Kingdom Come drummer dies in Kentucky

Ex-Scorpions and Kingdom Come drummer James Kottak has died at the age of 61.

The musician’s daughter, Tobi, told the story TMZ Kottak died Tuesday morning in Louisville, Kentucky.

His cause of death is currently unknown.

Kottak was best known as the drummer for the German rock band Scorpions – whose hits included Rock You Like a Hurricane and No One Like You – from 1996 to 2016, and was their longest-serving band member.

He was fired from the band in September 2016 due to his alcoholism and replaced by former Motorhead member Mikkey Dee.

Kottak was also an original member of Kingdom Come, serving as its drummer from 1987 to 1989 and again from 2018 until his death.

He played in his own band Kottak, formerly known as KrunK, and was a drummer in the bands Montrose, Warrant, Dio, the McAuley Schenker Group and Buster Brown.

Kottak was married to Tommy Lee’s younger sister Athena Bass, 59, from 1996 to 2010, the former couple shared son Matthew, now 27, over whom they were involved in a custody battle in 2012.

Athena is also mother to Tobi, 33, and son Miles, 31, from previous relationships.

In a 2020 interview with Scorpions’ fan club, Crazyscorps, Kottak discussed his alcoholism and dismissal from the band.

He said: ‘I always liked a drink here and there. And then I always take a pain medication called Aleve. It’s what all baseball players take, all football players take, and it works like a charm. You take that one and you don’t feel anything. But besides, I’m a rock drummer in a rock band, and you have the green light to drink.

‘I didn’t drink from 2008 to 2011. One day I woke up and said, “I just don’t want to drink anymore.” I didn’t go to rehab; I didn’t do any of that stuff. I just didn’t want to drink anymore.

‘If you have any knowledge of AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] or any type of program or rehabilitation, it only lasts so long and then you have what we in recovery call a relapse. I would go through these phases of not drinking for a year or maybe two years, and then gradually…

‘Scorpions, we’re playing our show, we’re going back to the hotel, [and] 45 minutes later we are all sitting downstairs eating. And everything is just the right price: free. All these flights back and forth from Europe, from LA – I was just flying constantly.

‘Which I’m not complaining about, but it’s always business or first class, and again, all the drinks are priced right. I go, ‘I have the next two days off. I might as well have a drink.” And that’s what got me started drinking again sometimes.

“It’s a typical alcoholic way of thinking: ‘Well, I might as well have a drink.’ Why not?’ And that is typical thinking about alcoholic diseases. ‘Because it’s a disease’.

He said the turning point for his recovery and continued sobriety came when he spent three months at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment center on the island of Antigua.

He said, “I’ve been to hundreds – I won’t say thousands – I’ve been to hundreds of AA meetings. I spent 92 days in Eric Clapton’s rehab. I was only going to stay there for thirty days.

“They offered me and said, ‘Hey, if you want to stay a few more weeks, that’s OK.’ And I’m like, ‘What? Well, do I have to pay?’ Because it’s expensive, it costs about $30,000 a month.

“They say, ‘No. You can just stay if you want.” So I stayed for another two weeks, and then another two weeks. And long story short, I was there for 92 days and it changed my whole life and my whole way of thinking.”

In 2014, he was jailed for a month for being drunk and pointing his middle finger at Muslims in Dubai.

Kottak is said to have started swearing and taking off his pants after drinking five glasses of wine on a flight from Moscow.

He was on his way to Bahrain, where he was due to perform at a Formula 1 Grand Prix concert, when he was arrested and detained.

The American reportedly became angry and started shouting when he accidentally entered the transit hall.

When he saw the Pakistani and Afghan passengers, witnesses said Kottak swore at them and started talking about “uneducated Muslims.”

An officer claimed he then said, “What kind of disgusting smell is that,” police said The national one.

A 27-year-old airport worker said: ‘When he… [Kottak] When he saw the Pakistani and Afghan passengers, he covered his nose and said there was no way he would travel with them.”

His lawyer had previously argued that Kottak had not committed any indecent act but merely wanted to show his tattoo to the public.

Kottak refuted the allegations, telling prosecutors, “I don’t remember saying those words and I didn’t wave my middle finger.”

His lawyer, Hamid Al Khazraji told the Dubai Court of Misdemeanors that his client was innocent and that the witnesses’ statements were contradictory.

Kottak was fined Dh2,000 (£323; $544) for drinking and deported. He admitted to drinking but denied making indecent gestures and cursing Muslims in public.

In addition to his musicality, Kottak was known for his politically conservative views.

In June 2019 he said: ‘I wrote a new song… ‘Get out of My Kountry’ aka: stay out of my space! We don’t need outsiders anymore. We can’t even solve the homeless problems?! When the homeless problem is solved, we’ll take care of everyone else…’

Three months later, Kottak made a shocked Twitter rant about “interracial couples in commercials.”

He wrote: ‘You know, I’m tired of every other commercial featuring interracial couples… this isn’t reality. It’s Hollywood shoving it down our throats. I don’t have one friend or friends who live in this category…just saying.’

In November 2019, Kottak wrote: ‘Okay, so the percentage of black Americans in the US is about 13%, so why are they 50 to 60% represented in all commercials? Just say: call me if you have a reasonable argument?

“Maybe none of you have the guts to tell the truth?”