# Mike Porcaro
**Mike Porcaro** (Michael Joseph Porcaro, May 29, 1955 – March 15, 2015) was an American bass player, best known as the longtime bassist of the rock band [Toto](https://www.edgepedia.org/toto-band), which he joined in 1982 after the departure of original bassist [David Hungate](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-hungate).[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) • [2](https://www.stevelukather.com/media/83899/TOTO-Bio.pdf) He recorded and toured with Toto for nearly a quarter-century, and he also worked extensively as a session musician.[3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-mike-porcaro-toto-obituary-appreciation-steve-lukather-20150317-story.html) He retired in 2007 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as [Lou Gehrig](https://www.edgepedia.org/lou-gehrig)'s disease, and died from the illness at his Los Angeles home at age 59.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Joseph Porcaro[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) |
| Born | 1955, South Windsor, Connecticut[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) |
| Died | March 15, 2015, Los Angeles, California, of ALS[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) |
| Role in Toto | Bassist from 1982, replacing David Hungate; recorded and toured with the band for nearly 25 years[2](https://www.stevelukather.com/media/83899/TOTO-Bio.pdf) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-mike-porcaro-toto-obituary-appreciation-steve-lukather-20150317-story.html) |
| Pre-Toto contribution | Cello on "Good For You" on *Toto IV* (1982), recorded before he became an official member[4](https://mikeporcaro.com/toto-albums/) • [2](https://www.stevelukather.com/media/83899/TOTO-Bio.pdf) |
| Family | Son of session percussionist Joe Porcaro; middle brother of drummer Jeff Porcaro and keyboardist Steve Porcaro; married to Cheryl from 1988, with three children[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0691665/bio/) |
| Retirement | Diagnosed with ALS in 2006, retired from performing in 2007[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) |
## Early life and family
Porcaro grew up in a musical household. His father, Joe Porcaro, was a studio session percussionist, and the three brothers attended Grant High School in [Van Nuys](https://www.edgepedia.org/van-nuys), honing their skills in a garage the family had converted into a rehearsal and recording studio.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) His older brother Jeff became a prominent session drummer and Toto's drummer, and his younger brother Steve became the band's keyboardist; Mike, the middle brother, established himself on bass and worked his way into the Los Angeles session circuit by the mid-1970s.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) • [6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/porcaro-mn0000038489)
Before joining Toto he performed with [Seals and Crofts](https://www.edgepedia.org/seals-and-crofts), Boz Scaggs, and other groups.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) His session discography includes recordings with [Donna Summer](https://www.edgepedia.org/donna-summer) (*Bad Girls*), Lee Ritenour (*Captain Fingers*), Dan Fogelberg (*Exiles*), [Dionne Warwick](https://www.edgepedia.org/dionne-warwick) (*Friends in Love*), Michael McDonald (*If That's What it Takes*), Cher (*Love Hurts*), .38 Special (*Strength in Numbers*), the Manhattan Transfer (*Tonin'*), and Ricky Martin (*Vuelve*), among many others.[7](https://www.feenotes.com/database/artists/porcaro-mike-29-may-1955-15th-march-2015/)
## Toto
Jeff and [Steve Porcaro](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-porcaro) were founding members of Toto, formed in the late 1970s by keyboardist [David Paich](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-paich), the two brothers, and other prominent session musicians who had recorded and toured with [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson), Sonny and Cher, Boz Scaggs, and Steely Dan.[8](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/mike-porcaro-obituary?pid=179324298) Mike performed with his brothers on occasion, but the band already had a bass player in David Hungate.[7](https://www.feenotes.com/database/artists/porcaro-mike-29-may-1955-15th-march-2015/) His first recorded appearance with the band came on *Toto IV* (1982), where he played cello on the track "Good For You"; he became an official member of Toto in 1982, when Hungate left to resume a session career.[4](https://mikeporcaro.com/toto-albums/) • [2](https://www.stevelukather.com/media/83899/TOTO-Bio.pdf) • [8](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/mike-porcaro-obituary?pid=179324298)
The timing placed him in the band at the peak of its commercial success. In 1983, Toto won a best-album Grammy for *Toto IV*, a best-song Grammy for "Rosanna", and several other Grammy awards.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) He appeared on the albums *Isolation* (1984) and *Fahrenheit* (1986), and was back for *The Seventh One* and the band's subsequent 1988 world tour.[4](https://mikeporcaro.com/toto-albums/) • [7](https://www.feenotes.com/database/artists/porcaro-mike-29-may-1955-15th-march-2015/) While touring in support of *Fahrenheit*, he broke his arm in a fall on stage during a concert in Hanover, Germany.[7](https://www.feenotes.com/database/artists/porcaro-mike-29-may-1955-15th-march-2015/)
**Later Toto albums.** After Jeff Porcaro's death in 1992, Mike continued with the band through *Tambu* (1995), *TOTO XX: 1977-1997* (1998), *Mindfields* (1999), and *Falling In Between* (2006).[4](https://mikeporcaro.com/toto-albums/) On the 1984 *Dune* movie soundtrack he played electric bass, acoustic bass, and percussion on every track except track 9.[4](https://mikeporcaro.com/toto-albums/) In 1997, he and Steve recorded "Young at Heart", which became the official song of the UEFA Champions League Final, and in 2002 he performed in a tribute concert for Jeff in Koblenz, Germany, later released as the solo album *Brotherly Love*.[7](https://www.feenotes.com/database/artists/porcaro-mike-29-may-1955-15th-march-2015/) The group was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2009.[8](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/mike-porcaro-obituary?pid=179324298)
## Illness and death
At age 50, Porcaro became aware of a strange loss of strength in his hands and fingers; a 2006 diagnosis confirmed ALS, and he stepped away from performing a year later.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) The Guardian gives the diagnosis year as 2010.[9](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/16/toto-bassist-mike-porcaro-dies-aged-59) ALS attacks the cells that control muscles, and by 2012 keyboardist David Paich described him as mentally sharp but unable to move, walk, or play.[8](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/mike-porcaro-obituary?pid=179324298)
Toto went on hiatus in 2008 but returned two years later, staging a summer 2010 European tour to benefit Porcaro, help pay his medical bills, and raise awareness of ALS; the band toured again in 2011, with [Nathan East](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathan-east) filling in on bass.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) • [3](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-mike-porcaro-toto-obituary-appreciation-steve-lukather-20150317-story.html) • [7](https://www.feenotes.com/database/artists/porcaro-mike-29-may-1955-15th-march-2015/) Porcaro died on March 15, 2015, at his Los Angeles home, at age 59; his death was announced in a Facebook post by his brother Steve.[1](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html) • [8](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/mike-porcaro-obituary?pid=179324298)
## References
1. [Mike Porcaro dies at 59; bassist played with two brothers in rock band Toto, Los Angeles Times (March 16, 2015)](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-mike-porcaro-20150317-story.html)
2. [TOTO Bio, stevelukather.com](https://www.stevelukather.com/media/83899/TOTO-Bio.pdf)
3. [Toto's Steve Lukather remembers bassist Mike Porcaro, Los Angeles Times (March 17, 2015)](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-mike-porcaro-toto-obituary-appreciation-steve-lukather-20150317-story.html)
4. ["TOTO Albums", Mike Porcaro: a Tribute Website](https://mikeporcaro.com/toto-albums/)
5. [Mike Porcaro Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0691665/bio/)
6. [Steve Porcaro, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/porcaro-mn0000038489)
7. [Porcaro, Mike (29 May 1955 – 15th March 2015), Feenotes](https://www.feenotes.com/database/artists/porcaro-mike-29-may-1955-15th-march-2015/)
8. [Mike Porcaro Obituary (1955–2015), Legacy Remembers / Associated Press](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/mike-porcaro-obituary?pid=179324298)
9. [Toto bassist Mike Porcaro dies aged 59, The Guardian (March 16, 2015)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/mar/16/toto-bassist-mike-porcaro-dies-aged-59)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Pop rock and power pop › Classic pop rock era, 1960s–1980s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license