You could feel Monti Rock III’s arrival, even a mile away.
Rock’s flamboyant persona led the way as he called out, “Hello, Baby! It’s the magnificent Monti Rock III!”
The Las Vegas bon vivant, known for dozens of appearances on “The Tonight Show” and his DJ cameo in “Saturday Night Fever,” died on Monday night in his home in Las Vegas. He was 86.
Rock’s friend of more than 60 years, Lucille Thaler, confirmed Tuesday morning that Rock had died overnight at his home on South Buffalo Road. Thaler said Rock had long suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Rock had also suffered a broken hip in December 2024, underwent surgery and signed himself out of the hospital to stay at his Las Vegas home. Haler said he moved a hospital bed into his residence, and was in home hospice for the rest of his life.
Thaler last visited with Rock at about 8:30 p.m. Monday. As his friend and confidant shared, “He said, ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’ Three times. He was a lifelong friend, and my family took him in like he was part of our family.”
Rock was Joseph Montanez Jr. on May 29, 1939, to Rose and Joseph Moses Montanez in the Bronx (his listed date of birth is often inaccurately listed as May 29, 1942).
Rock was a hairdresser and cabaret performer who became well known among celebs in the 1960s, with his subjects appearing on the covers of fashion magazines such as Vogue. The New York scenesters dubbed him Rebel With a Comb.
Rock’s commanding personality led him to Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show.” Reports vary on how many appearances he made on the show; IMDb lists 36, while Rock often claimed 84. He joked that he typically had nothing to plug, but was a great guest because of his personality and celeb connections.
Rock was also a frequent guest on such daytime talkers as “The Mike Douglas Show” and “The Merv Griffin Show.”
In February 1975, Rock recorded the disco-crossover album “Disco-Tex & His Sex-O-Lettes Review” with famed producer Bob Crewe (who produced many Four Seasons hits and is depicted in “Jersey Boys”).
The singles “Get Dancin’” and “I Wanna Dance Wit’ Choo (Doo Dat Dance),” were hits in the U.S. The latter reached No. 10 on the Billboard charts. The songs were played prominently at New York’s dance clubs.
Buoyed by that fame, Rock was cast as the DJ in “Saturday Night Fever” in 1977. Billed as “The Deejay,” Rock’s called from the booth, “Hello, again! This is beautiful Monti, your delicious DJ!”
Rock recalled in a 2017 interview his limited skill set, “I’m not a good actor, but I did film. I’m not a good singer, but I did records. I’m a columnist who can’t type. My one genius was hair. I could do hair.” He once said in his heyday, he was “The No. 1 hairdresser in the world.”
Rock recalled headlining a cabaret show at Caesars in either ‘68 or ‘69, saying he “bombed.” He had a stint as host of “Legends In Concert” in 1993 that also landed flat.
“I felt like the way it would work would be to host a show. Seven minutes or eight minutes (as host), that’s what I really wanted to do,” Rock said. “I really thought that would work. But it didn’t work for me.”
Rock moved to Las Vegas in 1996. For years he wrote a gossip-style column for industry pub Gaming Today. He was known to expect VIP treatment. He gifted “boxes of goodness,” which included doll heads, ribbons, a bedazzled high heel, and random arts and crafts items.
Rock’s walk-in to PR agencies famously disrupted that day’s business. He entered, often lacking an appointment, bellowing, “Hello, everybody! It’s the famous Monti Rock III!”
Rock wore stage makeup, with no stage show. He dressed in a way reminiscent of Liberace, a man he consistently claimed “stole my act.” He donned long capes, bedazzled caps and shoes, an array of zany jackets (at least one emblazoned with “The Legend”) and oversized shades.
Rock occasionally carried a stuffed cat that he made “Meow!” through a sound box, and asked friends if they wanted to pet him.
For years, Rock drove a Ford Focus wrapped in a leopard-skin pattern, his image and name featured boldly, a piece of self-promotion beyond a mere vanity plate.
But even as his flashy image seemed to inoculate him from real-life setbacks, Rock experienced rough times in the last decade. He lost his longtime partner, Bruce Moshman, about 10 years ago. He had no surviving immediate family and was broke at the time of his death, with no stipend for his cremation or burial.
“There is no money for this special person’s contribution to the field of entertainment,” Thaler said. “I am devastated.”
Rock once said of his appeal, “People who are self-created are long gone. I think someone like me belongs here because it lends itself to the glitter of Vegas. But the talent of surviving is a talent. Life has a way of, you either sink or swim. And I’ve been able to sink more times than swim. I’m the world’s most successful failure.”
But Rock never ceased promoting himself or maintaining the thread of a career. He said in a final message in July 2024, “I’m making a full comeback, at age 85, a tribute show to what is Monti Rock III. Can you believe it? I’m back.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source neon.reviewjournal.com ’
