Donnie Iris, the Pittsburgh-area rock singer behind “Ah! Leah!” and the Jaggerz hit “The Rapper,” died on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the age of 83. He had been fighting bladder cancer for three years.
“For my money, he was the most beloved Pittsburgh musician of all time,” fellow Pittsburgh rocker Joe Grushecky told the Post-Gazette. “I don’t know anyone who was loved more than Donnie.”
The Jaggerz and Wild Cherry
Born Dominic Ierace in New Castle, Pennsylvania, on February 28, 1943, he grew up in Ellwood City and was singing at weddings by the age of five, encouraged by his mother, a former big-band singer. He spent about a decade with the Jaggerz, writing and singing “The Rapper,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. He later had a brief spell with Wild Cherry, after their hit “Play That Funky Music.”
Donnie Iris and the Cruisers
He then went solo and formed his backing band, the Cruisers. Their 1980 debut album, Back on the Streets, was powered by the Top 30 single “Ah! Leah!” They followed with the Top 40 hits “Love Is Like a Rock” (1981) and “My Girl” (1982), along with four more Hot 100 entries. Iris remained a major live draw across Pittsburgh, Youngstown and Cleveland for more than four decades.
A last show at home
Earlier this month he announced his retirement from performing, citing “recent health issues.” His final concert was on September 28 at the opening of Citizens Live at the Wylie, a new Pittsburgh venue. “It was a meaningful and fitting moment to share with all of you in my hometown,” he wrote, thanking his daughters, his family, his bandmates and his fans.