On November 17, 2023, Dream Theater’s original vocalist, Charlie Dominici, passed away at the age of 72. After learning of his passing, his former bandmates honored him on Instagram by posting pictures of themselves with him and writing: “The news of Charlie Dominici’s demise, the former singer of Dream Theater, breaks our hearts. Charlie provided the voice of DT for our 1988 debut album, “When Dream And Day Unite.” In addition to being a fantastic singer, he was also a very gifted lyricist, a versatile musician who could play the guitar and keyboards, and he remained a close friend even after leaving the band. The Dream Theater family is deeply saddened by Charlie’s untimely death, and we would like to offer the Dominici family our sincere condolences during this incredibly trying time. Shortly after Dream Theater’s debut album, Dominici’s tenure with the band came to an end. In 1991, the band decided to fire the singer because they didn’t think his “pop-style” singing fit with the new sound they were going for. James LaBrie took over as the new singer.
Although Dominici left the group, drummer Mike Portnoy wrote in a separate article on his passing that Dominici maintained contact with the other members of the group: Even after we broke up with him in late 1989, he was always a friend.leading the band that performed at my wife Marlene’s and my wedding in 1994, getting back together with DT for the 15th anniversary of “When Dream And Day Unite” in 2004, opening for DT in Europe with his solo band in 2007, and traveling to see John Petrucci and me on our joint tour in 2022. As recently as a few weeks ago, we exchanged texts in which he wished me well on my return to DT on the day of the announcement. He was ecstatic and joyful for all of us. After departing Dream Theater, the late vocalist didn’t continue to perform live, but between 2005 and 2008, she put out a three-part concept CD. Additionally, in 2007 he served as the band’s opener for three dates on their Chaos In Motion Tour.
