JEFF SCOTT SOTO Pays Tribute To TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Founder PAUL O'NEILL - "I Miss This Man Every Year, Every Tour; He Was A Mentor"

Vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (Sons Of Apollo, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) has shared the following message via social media:

"In solidarity to the final TSO shows this year today in San Antonio, I wanted to share an important and personal dedication.

Sometimes one takes for granted they will see those in their lives annually so something as simple as taking a photo together ends with ‘next time’. This was the case with me and TSO founder Paul O’Neill.

Paul not being that much older than me, us being overall healthy and moving through life with plans to be here until we are old and grey left me with that exact ideal, 'next time/year.'

I started working with TSO in 2007 and it was in 2014 I realized I had NO photos with the man together except for the onstage ones folks took of us. During rehearsals in ’14, my longtime bro world acclaimed photographer Mark Weiss was at rehearsals for that tour doing pics before the tour launched. It was then I thought it would be great to finally get some pics with Paul….and who better to take them!

That time passed and I never got a copy, we continued on with life and work until we lost Paul without warning or even concern that this could happen anytime soon. I asked Mark if he would be able to find the pics but in our normal mode of ‘crazy busy’ AND finding the time to go through hundreds if not thousands of pics to find them, I kicked myself for not doing a simple phone pic with the man.

A few days ago, Mark presented me NOT with the digital ones but actual pro prints of Paul and me; this is one I am sharing with you now. I miss this man every year, every tour, every note I sing with TSO. He was a mentor, he was the ideal human being. I am so fortunate he took me under his wing and I am proud to continue his vision year after year to date!"

Photo by Mark Weiss