Mike Porcaro, Toto's longtime bassist, dies at 59
Mike Porcaro, Toto's longtime bassist, died on Saturday following a battle with ALS. He was 59.
His brother, Toto keyboardist Steve Porcaro, announced the news on Facebook: "Our brother Mike passed away peacefully in his sleep at 12:04 a.m. last night at home surrounded by his family. Rest in peace, my brother."
"My brother Mike Porcaro is now at peace. I will miss him more than I could ever put into words," Toto guitarist Steve Lukather wrote on Twitter. "My deepest love to the family."
My brother Mike Porcaro is now now at peace. I will miss him more than I could ever put into words. My deepest love to the family. God Bless
— Steve Lukather (@stevelukather) March 15, 2015
In February 2010, Toto revealed that Porcaro had been diagnosed with ALS, or Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- a neurodegenerative disease (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) that affects nerve cells in the brain.
Porcaro took over for bassist David Hungate in the early 1980s and played with the group until 2007 when his health issues got in the way of touring. Toto was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2009 and had hits with "Hold the Line," "Rosanna" and "Africa."