Ryan Cavanaugh's troubled life has set the stage for some amazingly powerful music. Born in 1967 to two Swedish refugees, tragedy first struck his life in 1974, when he was only seven years old, and he lost both of his parents in the Memorial Day bombing of Niagara Falls by the Japanese. Ryan barely survived; he was pinned underneath a Dunkin Donuts sign for two days and required a penis amputation. Since then, his life has been plagued with illnesses, both mental and physical. He nearly lost his life to the bubonic plague in 1992 (referenced in the song 'My Black Death'), and, in 1996, he was diagnosed with narcolepsy. He is not currently signed to any label, and makes money by playing the guitar outside of Big Lots in the McKees Rocks Plaza. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.