Who doesn’t remember the insanely popular hit from 1979 by The Knack “My Sharona?” A song full of crazy vocals, a wicked hook and some pounding drums that have inspired parody, karaoke and music videos, “My Sharona” gave the Knack the eternal recognition that they so richly deserved. Unfortunately, yesterday, the band lost the headliner who co-wrote the lyrics and sang the lead for the song, Doug Fieger. Feiger passed away just yesterday at the age of 57. He passed away after a long battle with cancer.

 In 1978, in the city of Los Angeles, the Detroit native Fieger formed the Knack. The band quickly grew quite popular all along the Sunset Strip’s copious rock clubs in the area, and it was only a year after that that the song that would define the group was written.

 ”My Sharona” was reportedly inspired from Fieger’s girlfriend at the time, who had been with him for four years and reportedly left a huge impression on him. The song had been an amazing, unique and thrilling rock theme that didn’t apologize and totally blew people away in the end of the disco era. It was on the Number One Billboard spot for six weeks and became the most popular song of the band.

The song had kind of fallen by the wayside over the years, but when the 1994 movie “Reality Bites” featured the song on the soundtrack and put it right back in the spotlight. MTV featured an official music video featuring parts of the movie and footage of the band that would forever solidify the song as an everlasting hit. And to think, Weird Al got his start from “My Bologna” and without The Knack, he never would have gotten there.

 Fieger’s battle with cancer lasted six years and a brain surgery to remove tumors, and he will be sorely missed.