A single-car crash in the wee hours of Sunday morning took the life of local Hollywood legend John Paul Giosa — or Johnny G, 42-year-old WeHo resident and former drummer of the BulletBoys.

Giosa's band describes itself on Facebook as a group of “talented musicians from high profile bands such as King Kobra and Ratt” — a six-album collective that has weathered the music scene since forming in “1988 at the very peak of the Los Angeles glam metal movement.”

Today in particular, the BulletBoys' Facebook page is overflowing with photos and memories of their late drummer, including this nugget from a fellow band member:

“While out on the road, Johnny used to ALWAYS make us stop at Walmart so he could buy a football and throw it around the parking lot with us for exercise …… We are currently somewhere in the middle of Iowa making our trek back to the west coast. We stopped at Walmart and I bought the same exact football. We threw it around, I went in for the punt (I barely kicked it!) ….and the ball went sailing high in the air and landed on the roof behind the Wallmart sign. That's our Johnny!”

Giosa was driving his 1998 VW Bug up the 405 North just after 4 a.m. on Sunday morning, when — near the Howard Hughes Parkway, in Westchester — his car veered out of lanes.

City News Service reports that “his car drifted off the freeway for unknown reasons and struck a concrete overpass.” He was declared dead at the scene of the crash.

A friend recently posted this video of Giosa on YouTube, in which he models “during a Kevin James Fashion show on 5-21-2011 in Hollywood, CA”:

Did you know the victim, or catch him live in his time with the BulletBoys? Please share below.

[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]

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