The members and fans of Swedish hard rock band Nasty Idols suffered a nasty shock on Dec. 5, when singer Andy Pierce passed away suddenly after suffering a brain hemorrhage at the age of 45.

"We, the band members, have been talking a lot and it is a shock," guitarist Peter Espinoza told Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan (via Blabbermouth). "It goes up and down. One second you're not thinking about it, and then the next second, it hits you like a bomb. It's terribly sad."

Formed in 1987, Nasty Idols reached their commercial peak in the early '90s, following the release of their second album, 'Cruel Intention,' in 1991. While they were never huge in the U.S., the band enjoyed a string of minor international hits, including 'Cool Way of Living,' 'Can't Get Ya' Off' and 'Trashed N' Dirty' before breaking up in 1995. They reunited in 2006, producing the comeback records 'Boys Town' and 'Kalifornia.'

Espinoza shared warm memories of his time with Pierce, calling him "a very funny human being" and recalling, "We were always having minor quibbles at gig time. My hair is falling off, it happens to most people sooner or later, and he always said, 'It's cool that you're going bald, but wouldn't it be cooler with a baseball cap?' We were always giving each other friendly jabs like that. He was a truly wonderful and funny person."

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