<\/p>\n
You could feel Monti Rock III\u2019s arrival, even a mile away.<\/p>\n
Rock\u2019s flamboyant persona led the way as he called out, \u201cHello, Baby! It\u2019s the magnificent Monti Rock III!\u201d<\/p>\n
The Las Vegas bon vivant, known for dozens of appearances on \u201cThe Tonight Show\u201d and his DJ cameo in \u201cSaturday Night Fever,\u201d died on Monday night in his home in Las Vegas. He was 86.<\/p>\n
Rock\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Thaler last visited with Rock at about 8:30 p.m. Monday. As his friend and confidant shared, \u201cHe said, \u2018I love you, I love you, I love you.\u2019 Three times. He was a lifelong friend, and my family took him in like he was part of our family.\u201d<\/p>\n
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).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Rock\u2019s commanding personality led him to Johnny Carson\u2019s \u201cTonight Show.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
Rock was also a frequent guest on such daytime talkers as \u201cThe Mike Douglas Show\u201d and \u201cThe Merv Griffin Show.\u201d<\/p>\n
In February 1975, Rock recorded the disco-crossover album \u201cDisco-Tex & His Sex-O-Lettes Review\u201d with famed producer Bob Crewe (who produced many Four Seasons hits and is depicted in \u201cJersey Boys\u201d).<\/p>\n
The singles \u201cGet Dancin\u2019\u201d and \u201cI Wanna Dance Wit\u2019 Choo (Doo Dat Dance),\u201d were hits in the U.S. The latter reached No. 10 on the Billboard charts. The songs were played prominently at New York\u2019s dance clubs.<\/p>\n
Buoyed by that fame, Rock was cast as the DJ in \u201cSaturday Night Fever\u201d in 1977. Billed as \u201cThe Deejay,\u201d Rock\u2019s called from the booth, \u201cHello, again! This is beautiful Monti, your delicious DJ!\u201d<\/p>\n
Rock recalled in a 2017 interview<\/a> his limited skill set, \u201cI\u2019m not a good actor, but I did film. I\u2019m not a good singer, but I did records. I\u2019m a columnist who can\u2019t type. My one genius was hair. I could do hair.\u201d He once said in his heyday, he was \u201cThe No. 1 hairdresser in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Rock recalled headlining a cabaret show at Caesars in either \u201868 or \u201869, saying he \u201cbombed.\u201d He had a stint as host of \u201cLegends In Concert\u201d in 1993 that also landed flat.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like the way it would work would be to host a show. Seven minutes or eight minutes (as host), that\u2019s what I really wanted to do,\u201d Rock said. \u201cI really thought that would work. But it didn\u2019t work for me.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201cboxes of goodness,\u201d which included doll heads, ribbons, a bedazzled high heel, and random arts and crafts items.<\/p>\n Rock\u2019s walk-in to PR agencies famously disrupted that day\u2019s business. He entered, often lacking an appointment, bellowing, \u201cHello, everybody! It\u2019s the famous Monti Rock III!\u201d<\/p>\n Rock wore stage makeup, with no stage show. He dressed in a way reminiscent of Liberace, a man he consistently claimed \u201cstole my act.\u201d He donned long capes, bedazzled caps and shoes, an array of zany jackets (at least one emblazoned with \u201cThe Legend\u201d) and oversized shades.<\/p>\n Rock occasionally carried a stuffed cat that he made \u201cMeow!\u201d through a sound box, and asked friends if they wanted to pet him.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no money for this special person\u2019s contribution to the field of entertainment,\u201d Thaler said. \u201cI am devastated.\u201d<\/p>\n Rock once said of his appeal, \u201cPeople 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\u2019ve been able to sink more times than swim. I\u2019m the world\u2019s most successful failure.\u201d<\/p>\n But Rock never ceased promoting himself or maintaining the thread of a career. He said in a final message in July 2024, \u201cI\u2019m making a full comeback, at age 85, a tribute show to what is Monti Rock III. Can you believe it? I\u2019m back.\u201d<\/p>\n John Katsilometes\u2019 column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com.<\/a> Follow @johnnykats<\/a> on X, @JohnnyKats1<\/a> on Instagram.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n