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Mike Porcaro Dead At 59
The loss of great bass player, Mike Porcaro, Toto dies at 59 due to ALS.
excepts from ForBassPlayersOnly.Com Web
Toto bass player loses battle with ALS
By David Sands
March 15, 2015
Former Toto Bassist Mike Porcaro, whose work can be heard on their famous song “Africa,” passed away before daybreak Sunday, after many years of fighting Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to Rolling Stone. He was 59.
Toto had a string of Billboard Top 5 hits in the Seventies and Eighties, including “Rosanna” and “99.”
Porcaro’s brother, Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro commented on the loss of his sibling over Facebook. “Our brother Mike passed away peacefully in his sleep at 12:04 AM last night at home surrounded by his family,” he said. “Rest in peace, my brother.”
Replacing Toto’s original bass player David Hungate, Porcaro joined the band in 1982, not long before their popular album Toto IV. Porcaro stopped touring in 2007, due to complications from his illness.
In addition to playing with Toto, the accomplished bassist also toured in the 1970s with Boz Scaggs, Seals & Crofts and Michael Franks. Peter Iwers, bassist of the Swedish band In Flames, cites him as a major influence.
Born to a highly musical family, he was the son of legendary jazz and session percussionist, Joe Porcaro, and also brother to Toto’s late drummer, Jeff Porcaro.