• Rick Derringer, guitarist and rock ‘n’ roll legend, died at 77 in Ormond Beach, Florida.
• Derringer’s career spanned six decades and included collaborations with artists from various genres.
• He is known for hits like “Hang On, Sloopy” and “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.”
• Derringer’s music has recently been featured in popular culture, including the Netflix series “Stranger Things.”

Guitar hero and rock ‘n’ roll legend Rick Derringer, of “Hang On, Sloopy” and “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” fame, has died in Ormond Beach, according to reports on TMZ and other outlets.

He was 77.

Derringer’s wife, Jenda, told TMZ that the rock icon died “peacefully” after being taken off life support Monday night following a medical episode.

His caretaker and close friend, Tony Wilson, reported on the TMZ website that Derringer had undergone triple bypass surgery just two months ago, but had been doing well.

That changed on Monday night, Wilson told the website, when Derringer went into something that Wilson described as “some sort of shock” as he prepared for bed. He died at an undisclosed hospital, according to the family.

It’s unclear whether Derringer was a full-time resident in Volusia or Flagler counties, but he is listed as co-owner of a home at Latitude Margaritaville’s 55-and-older community in Daytona Beach, according to Volusia County Property Appraiser records.

Rick Derringer’s six-decade career spanned every imaginable genre

In a six-decade career, Derringer was a Zelig-like figure who was involved in an astonishing array of music by performers that defied genre expectations.

Born in Celina, Ohio, Derringer was 17 when he scored his first chart-topping hit, “Hang On, Sloopy,” with the McCoys in the summer of 1965. The song displaced “Yesterday,” by the Beatles at the top of the pop charts.

From there, Derringer went on to an array of successful collaborations with luminaries that ranged from Johnny and Edgar Winter to Steely Dan, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Weird Al Yankovic, Cyndi Lauper and Barbra Streisand.

A fiery, versatile and high-profile presence on New York’s rock scene during the 1970s and ‘80s, Derringer produced the Edgar Winter Group’s 1972 No. 1 single “Frankenstein,” in addition to playing guitar for the band for several years.

His signature solo hit, “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo,”  was released in 1973.

Although it was originally recorded by Johnny Winter, Derringer’s version eclipsed the original, showing enough endurance to re-surface recently on the soundtrack for the fourth season of the Netflix hit series “Stranger Things.”

Derringer launched his own band in 1976, which toured extensively throughout the decade, offering shows heavy on guitar dueling and showmanship.

At the same time, Derringer also worked extensively as a session musician, playing on albums by Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, Alice Cooper, Kiss and Barbra Streisand.

Rick Derringer’s work embraced by everyone from Air Supply to Trump

In the early 1980s, he played guitar solos on two massive singles written by Meatloaf collaborator Jim Steinman: Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing at All.”

Derringer’s collaborations with singer Cyndi Lauper in the mid-1980s resulted in a connection to the world of professional wrestling. In 1985, he produced the World Wrestling Federation’s “The Wrestling Album,” which included the Hulk Hogan theme song “Real American.”

Like so many things that Derringer created, that song also endured. It has been employed by politicians ranging from President Barack Obama to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as well as President Trump.

Derringer was remembered fondly on Tuesday by fans and fellow musicians on social media, including New Smyrna Beach resident and musician Billy Chapin.

“I had the honor of working with Rick in 2023 on an album he was producing,” Chapin posted on Facebook. “We had great discussions about music, his career and I learned a lot from him. What stories. We talked about playing live, but sadly (that) never happened.

“Thank you, sir, and godspeed.”