Morgan Lunge

Morgan Lunge (loon-GAY) was an Australian-American musician and writer who served as the lead vocalist of the American hardcore punk band Rage City from the band's formation in 1988 until his death in 1998.

Lunge was also a gifted writer, publishing four novels during his lifetime, with a fifth being released posthumously.

Death & Aftermath
Lunge suffered from cardiac problems throughout his life. These problems were only exacerbated by his frequent use of cocaine during the early 1990s.

On June 7, 1992, during one of the final recording sessions for Flesh Machine, Lunge collapsed in the studio during a take. He was rushed to the hospital, where it was determined that he had suffered a minor heart attack. He was advised to take time away from the studio to rest, resulting in the album being delayed indefinitely.

On February 13, 1995, Lunge was discovered collapsed in his home by his sister. His sister performed CPR, and Lunge was resuscitated without issue. The following day, he visited his physician for an emergency physical examination, which resulted in his physician strongly cautioning him to be extremely careful while recording and to retire from touring altogether. Lunge did become more careful while recording but did not follow his doctor's touring advice.

On August 24, 1998, Lunge broke his four-year sobriety by snorting three lines of an undetermined amount of cocaine. His friends noticed he began to act extremely sluggish and tired after taking the cocaine. At approximately 11:27 PM, Lunge began to complain of severe chest pain, before passing out on a couch at 11:29. When initial attempts at CPR proved unsuccessful, a team of EMTs were called to the apartment. Their attempts at resuscitation were also unsuccessful, and Lunge was taken into the Emergency Room at an undisclosed hospital. Upon arrival, Lunge was pronounced dead. His cause of death was officially recorded as cardiac arrest triggered by preexisting cardiac conditions being exasperated by the use of cocaine.

The recording sessions for Rage City's self-titled fourth album had wrapped up the previous month, but the album was still in the process of being mastered. Wooded Area Records considered delaying the album, but the other Rage City members and members of the Lunge family expressed their desire for the original release date of the album to remain. The album was released on September 30, 1998, to critical acclaim. The band had already desired for this album to be the last, even before Lunge's death, and critics nearly unanimously agreed that the album was a fitting send-off for the band.