Cleveland born Michael Stanley Gee, guitarist, frontman, songwriter, local radio and television personality, died of lung cancer, according to a family statement.

If you came of age in the mid-‘70s and ‘80s, Michael Stanley was the face of rock ‘roll on sold-out stages and as a television personality. The songs of The Michael Stanley Band, later Michael Stanley and the Resonators and Stanley’s enduring voice as a WNCX disc jockey were our collective soundtrack.

Stanley attended high school in a Cleveland suburb and had his first record contract while attending Hiram College on a baseball scholarship. He formed the Michael Stanley Band in 1974. The band started out with Stanley, Jonah Koslen and Tommy Dobeck but would evolve to include seven or more players and would sell out multiple nights at Blossom Music Center and the Richfield Coliseum.

MSB officially disbanded after multiple sold-out shows at the Front Row Theatre, but Stanley and many former members and others continued to play as Michael Stanley and Friends, the Resonators and a number of side groups including The Midlife Chryslers. Those later bands were popular in regular shows across Ohio including appearances at the Lorain Palace Theatre and Rockin’ on the River.

"When we moved Rockin’ on the River to Lorain from Cuyahoga Falls in 2015 it was a long shot,” said Bob Earley, who produces the outdoor concert series at Black River Landing.

“I’ll never forget the first night we had a band there that did 188 people. The next did 400. For the fifth show we had Michael Stanley. It was a lot more money than we were used to spending and me and my wife were really worried, but 8,000 people showed up.

“He just opened the floodgates for us,” Earley said. ”People loved him and would come from anywhere to see him.

"After that, people started coming to the shows and in Lorain now you have the hotel and the restaurants. I think you have to say that Michael had a huge part in bringing in all of that.”

In a statement issued Saturday, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame described Stanley and his work: “Michael’s songs spoke to our hearts. As fans we adored and revered him, and in return he loved us right back…”

Over the years, he survived a heart attack and subsequent quadruple bypass and prostate cancer. On Wednesday, WNCX announced he would be off the air “battling serious health issues.” On Saturday, his family announced his death via social media.

Michael Stanley Gee passed away peacefully at home on March 5 with his family by his side. He was 72 years old. Michael battled lung cancer for seven months with the same strength and dignity he carried throughout his life. He will always be remembered as a loving father, brother, husband, a loyal friend and the leader of one of Cleveland’s most successful rock bands.

Stanley will be buried at Lake View Cemetery in a private ceremony. Donations in his memory can be made to the Cleveland Food Bank and/or the Cleveland Animal Protective League.