Dream Theater’s original vocalist, Charlie Dominici, lost his life at the age of 72 on November 17, 2023. His former bandmates announced his death and paid him tribute on Instagram by sharing their photos with him and writing:
“We are devastated to hear the news of the passing of former Dream Theater singer Charlie Dominici. Charlie was the voice of DT on our debut album, ‘When Dream And Day Unite,’ recorded back in 1988. Beyond being a great singer, he was an incredibly talented songwriter, a well-rounded musician on both guitar and keyboards and a long-time friend even after his departure from the band. Charlie’s unexpected passing is a tremendous loss to everyone in the Dream Theater family, and we wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the Dominici family during this immensely difficult time.”
The Singer’s Departure And Relationship With Dream Theater
Dominici’s time with Dream Theater ended shortly after their first album. The band decided to part ways with the singer, feeling that his ‘pop-style’ singing didn’t match the direction they took with their sound, and replaced him with James LaBrie in 1991.
Despite leaving the band, Dominici stayed in touch with the rest of the band, as drummer Mike Portnoy mentioned in a separate post about his death:
“While we parted ways with him in late 1989, he always remained a friend…fronting the band that played at mine and [my wife] Marlene’s wedding in 1994, reuniting w DT for ‘When Dream And Day Unite’ ‘s 15th-anniversary show in 2004, opening for DT in Europe with his solo band in 2007 and coming to see myself & [John Petrucci] on our tour together in 2022. I was texting with him as recently as a few weeks ago when he texted me to congratulate me on my return to DT on the day of the announcement. He was so happy and excited for us all…”
The late vocalist didn’t actively make music after leaving Dream Theater but released a three-part concept album from 2005 to 2008. He also opened for the band at three shows during their Chaos In Motion Tour in 2007.