Our love doesn’t end here.. It lives forever. On the wings of time. These are the famous words. Mike’s sessions start in 1975 with Seals and Crofts and Eric Tagg.
John Ford Coley commented on Facebook: “Like I said earlier in the week, it’s been a difficult week around here as this is my third loss. Mike Porcaro took over the bass playing duties for the group Toto when David Hungate left the group. He played with them for many years before he became ill. His two brothers, Jeff the drummer and Steve, the keyboard player were also in the group. I met Mike when he played bass for Seals and Crofts. Dan and I would sometimes open for S&C. One day Mike came to Dan and I and said we needed a bass player and he would play with us on the tours we did with S&C. We told him we didn’t have the money to pay him. He said he didn’t want to get paid, he just liked our songs and wanted to play. He added so much to our sound then and both of us were so appreciative of his kindness to us. He was one of the nicest, funniest and most humble people I had met in this industry. We spent a lot of time together on the road during those crazy years. He fought a long brave battle with ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease) and succumbed today. He was only 59. What a loss for this industry and for the guys in Toto and all of us that knew him. Thank you Marie Currie for letting me know. We all had a great past with a lot of wonderful memories of worlds seen together. RIP Mike and thank you again. Tell Jeff hello for me.”
During the years Michael toured with Michael Franks first tour, Boz Scaggs and Larry Carlton
In the 70s Mike did sessions for Eric Carmen, Country Joe McDonald, Pointer Sisters, Grease (Soundtrack), Pablo Cruise, Donna Summers and Alessi to name a few.
Mike replaced Toto original bass player David Hungate in 1982 shortly after the band completed recording the Toto IV album. He played cello on a track for the album and subsequently appeared in the band’s videos and performed as a full band member on the world tour in support of the album.
David Hungate on Facebook: “We’ve lost one of the greatest musicians and finest men I’ve ever known.
Mike Porcaro was a hero and an inspiration to me….as a bassist, and as a person. I first met Mike and heard him play shortly after I moved to L.A. in ’71 when I stopped by the Porcaros’ house to pick Jeff up for a gig. He was 14 or 15 and completely blew me away, and still does after all these years as I’ve spent the past couple of months preparing for Toto’s next tour….listening to his brilliance every day. That will never fade and will continue to be an inspiration to me, and a standard to aspire to.
His final years were spent in a fight with a terrible disease. He faced his struggle with courage and dignity. I was priviliged to spend a couple hours with him last summer. We talked about old times, the house at 4428 Kraft where he and Cheryl lived after I’d lived there, Jeff, Toto, life. I wouldn’t trade those couple of hours for anything. Rest in peace my friend.
Love and heartfelt condolences to Cheryl, Joe, Aileen, Sam and all the Porcaro family.”
In the 80s the sessionworks continue. Mike worked with Julio Iglesias, Christopher Cross, America, Michael McDonald, 38 Special and many more. His first Toto album as full member was Isolation with new singer Fergie Frederiksen, who passed away in 2014.
Fahrenheit was the next album. The new singer was Joseph Williams and two years later the Seventh One.
In the 90s the sessionworks still continue, a few names of the 90s are: Cher, Steve Perry, Dan Fogelberg,, Jim Horn, Simon Phillips, etc . The Toto Past To Present tour in 1990 was a good start of Toto, but the death of brother Jeffrey in 1992, right before the start of the Kingdom Of Desire tour hit the band very hard, but the tour continued with Simon Phillips as the new drummer.
Toto continued in the 90s. Simon Phillips moved to LA got a full member of Toto. Tambu was the next album. Mike also had Brother’s Porcaro project with his brother Steve, it was composed for the Champions League Soccer finals in Munich (1997)
The Toto story continues with previously unreleased songs on Toto XX and a session on Santana’s Supernatural
Mindfields was the last album of Toto in the 90s. It was the comeback of singer Bobby Kimball, later the live version Livefields hit the stores.
Less sessions are a fact. Toto continues with a coveralbum Through The Looking Glass and in 2006 Falling in Between, nobody knew that it would be the last Toto album of Mike. He remained with the band until 2007. He retired from touring in 2007 as a result of being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Mike got replaced during the tours by Leland Sklar and Nathan East.
March 15, 2015 Michael passed away. His legacy will live on, his sessions and memory will be remembered. God bless Michael. As Richard Marx once said after Jeff’s passing: Our loss is heaven’s gain. All the prayers go to the family and friends. Rest in peace, Michael.
Here are some comments of his family, friends and fellow musicians:
Steve Porcaro 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 Lukather on Facebook: 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
Steve Lukather from LA Times: We’ve been brothers since we were 15. I practically grew up in their house. We all went to school together at [Ulysses S.] Grant High School in the San Fernando Valley, and we were always in their garage playing music.
Their dad, Joe, was a famous studio musician. He’d built a mini-studio at their house and soundproofed it. So every day after school, we would be there rehearsing. It was Steve, Jeff and Mike, and David Paich and a bunch of other guys, many of whom went on to do very well. There were four of us from the ’70s who carried on with this ridiculous dream, and 40-some years later, we’re still working. Mike was always there, and it was like he should have been in the band in the first place. But Jeff and David [Hungate] were from the “Silk Degrees” era; they played in the rhythm section with Boz Scaggs, and so when David left to go to Nashville, Jeff picked up the phone and said, “I guess my brother’s in the band now.”
He was more than just our bass player. Look at his discography: he was one of us. His groove and feel and sense of taste made him the iconic player he was. This will live forever.
To say goodbye to another brother, it’s always hard. And it was not an easy out. I don’t know if you’ve ever known anybody with ALS, but it is a cruel disease. It takes somebody very slowly.
For Mike, it started out like “Oh, my thumb’s bothering me,” and “I think I pulled a disc.” Somebody said they thought it was Lyme disease. Nobody wants to get that [ALS] diagnosis because it’s a terminal disease. There is no happy ending.
To have two brothers from the same family gone now — that should never happen to any parent, or sister or brother….
It’s just so strange, the feeling: On one hand, I’m happy he’s at peace, but on the other hand, I’m never going to be able to laugh with him again. He’s been in bad shape for years. It’s the most insidious disease, because your mind is as sharp as it ever was, but your body is deteriorating.
He fought a very hard fight — he fought an amazing fight. And his wife is probably the greatest saint of all time. She never complained. There’s definitely a special place in heaven for her.
What can you say about things like this? That anything stupid that may bother me is just meaningless when you realize the bigger picture. That’s what we’re all doing right now. I’m going to be seeing everybody and there will be a service at some point this week.
When his brother Steve called me [early Sunday morning] to tell me the news, I sat down and pulled up some of his best recordings and cried, laughed and was bummed out knowing it will be a little bit of time before we are all together again. But it reminded me of why he will always be one of the best ever.
All those that knew him and worked with him and shared the joy of making music with him know what I mean.
I just know that I’m a better man for having known Mike. Right now I’m just going to go jump into the pool with my son and remind myself what real love is all about.
David Paich on Facebook: God bless our brother, Mike. Rest in peace Mikey…
Simon Phillips on Facebook: I am just coming to terms with the passing of my friend Mike Porcaro. He fought so hard and so bravely for so long. It’s just that one is never fully prepared when that day comes. He is at peace and pain free now. I feel so lucky to have had that time we spent traveling and playing together. My thoughts are with his family at this sad time. Love you Mike.
Leland Sklar on Facebook: So broken hearted to hear of the passing of Mike Porcaro. One of the best human beings I have ever known, one of my favorite bassists and a part of a family that is the bench mark for what great music is all about. His legacy is deep and his spirit is with us all. Jeff and Mike together again. That is one badass section up there. RIP Mike ……….. my heart is with his family and the music community as a whole.
Nathan East on Facebook: My heart is heavy as our brother Mike Porcaro has passed away. Please keep his family in your prayers. Mikey, it was my honor to sub for you. You are now free, rest in peace my brother in bass.
CJ Vanston on Facebook: So sad to hear of the passing of dear Mike Porcaro. I don’t think I need to tell anyone here what a great musician Mike was but he was one sweet and soulful cat who was a huge inspiration to everyone in the Toto family. My heart goes out to Steve and the entire Porcaro family. Mike bravely fought with dignity and bravery through the living hell that is ALS, something we have no cure for. Also sending love to all my brothers in Toto.
Rick Marotta on Facebook: I just saw that Mike Porcaro passed away. This is devastating. I recently spoke to Joe Porcaro, our patriarch, who told me Mike was tired and ready. Selfishly, I don’t think any of us on the outside were ready for him to leave. There are no more talented, down to earth, warmer people that I’ve worked with. I don’t even know how to articulate how devastating this loss is.
I’ve lost too many friends to ALS. I hope we find a way to stop this horrible disease.
Will Lee on Facebook: A good brother departs. I don’t know what I hate worse: pediatric cancer, terrorist groups or ALS. Today, it’s ALS for sure. We’ve lost a good one to a terrible disease. The battle’s over, dear Mike Porcaro. RIP
Richard Page on Facebook: Much love to Mike Porcaro’s family in this difficult time. Mike was a great bass player and great guy. I remember when he played with my band Pages back in the day. He did some live shows with us and was a great addition to the band. Always had a smile on his face. Rest in the space of luminosity Mike.
Joe Vital on Facebook: RIP Mike. Mike played bass on our first version of Joe Walsh’s “In The City”….for the movie “The Warriors” ….What a wonderful musician….what a loss.
The Waters on Facbook: R.I.P. our talented friend Mike Porcaro!
David Pack on Facebook: In Remembrance…Mike Porcaro-bassist of Toto who blessed all of us with his warmth, and extraordinary gifts as a musician and gracious friend, co-wrote the title track of my solo debut on Warner Bros “Anywhere You Go” with Jai Winding and me.
Please keep his parents, legendary drummer-father Joe and Aileen Porcaro in your prayers, and his surviving brother the great composer-keyboardist Steve Porcaro.
Mikey, I hear Jeff has got a band going in Heaven and needs his brother on bass, and the gigs last forever. Free at last, rest in eternal peace my brother.
Quarterflash on Facebook: So sad to hear of the passing of Mike Porcaro. A tremendous bass player from a family of tremendous musicians. I got to know Mike in ’81 when we hired him to play bass on “Williams Avenue” on the first Quarterflash album. The song was about 8 minutes long and had many different grooves and sections – the chart took 2 music stands to hold. We used Mike because the song called for thumb-ing and poppin’ – something that Bob Glaub – the bassist we had used up til then, was not comfortable with (this was before Rich Gooch joined the band). Mike was humble, a quick study, and eager to do whatever worked for the song. I was a tad nervous around him because of my lack of theory and inability to express my ideas with the proper musical nomenclature, but Mike consistently gave me support through the two-day sessions. I ran into him a few times on the road and he was always there with a quick smile and exhibited a gentle spirit. RIP, Michael, you played music your whole life – and that is a blessing.
Last but not least, one of my favorite bass of the groovemeister
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