Mike Porcaro, the bass player of famed rock band Toto, died Sunday after a battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was 59.
Toto’s keyboardist Steve Porcaro confirmed his brother’s death on Facebook.
"Our brother Mike passed away peacefully in his sleep at 12:04 AM last night at home surrounded by his family. Rest in peace, my brother," Steve Porcaro wrote.
The band’s guitarist Steve Lukather said on Twitter, "My brother Mike Porcaro is now at peace. "I will miss him more than I could ever put into words. My deepest love to the family. God Bless."
Porcaro and his two brothers and Toto bandmates, Steve and Jeff, were born in South Windsor, Connecticut, according to reports.
Porcaro officially joined the band in 1982, playing on hits like “Africa” and “Rosanna.” He stopped touring in 2007 due to the illness. Porcaro and his bandmates were inducted into the Musician’s Hall of Fame in 2009.
On hiatus since 2008, the group came together again in 2010 to raise money for Porcaro and bring more awareness to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which attacks the nervous system.
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Formed in 1978 in Los Angeles, the band won a Grammy in 1982 for Album of the Year for Toto IV. Their new record, Toto XIV, is set to come out on March 24.
