Jeff Porcaro ( April, 1 1954 - August 5, 1992) was best know for his work with the band Toto, who have sold over 30 million records to date.

Jeff Porcaro was born on April 1, 1954, in
Hartford, Connecticut and first got interested in drumming due to the
influence of his father. He began playing seriously at age seven though
he is sure "I was playing even earlier than that. Only my father would
actually know when I got started." Formal lessons initially came from
papa Joe, followed by further studies with Bob Zimmitti and Rich Lapore.

If drummer Jeff Porcaro had never co-founded the immensely popular
group TOTO his stature as an artist would nevertheless be assured. At
age 28 Jeff has achieved a pinnacle of expertise and recognition
accorded few players in a lifetime. Since leaving high school during
his senior year to accompany Sonny and Cher in Las Vegas Jeff has
toured and recorded with Seals and Crofts, Boz Scaggs, and Steely Dan.

Jeff Porcaro never had visions of being the world's greatest drummer.
He didn't believe in putting that kind of pressure on himself. And even
though drums have shaped and molded virtually every facet of his
present life, he's never once been controlled by them.

From the start of his career, Jeff Porcaro was viewed as one of the
music industry's top drummers. Porcaro possessed an impeccable sense of
rhythm as well as a versatility that bridged virtually every style.
Among the hundreds of albums he played on were Boz Scaggs' "Silk
Degrees" (for which he wrote "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle") [sic], Dire
Straits" "On Every Street", Michael Jackson's "Thriller", Elton John's
"Jump Up", Don Henley's "End Of The Innocence", Warren Zevon's
"Excitable Boy", Rickie Lee Jones' debut, and Bruce Springsteen's
"Human Touch".

A partial list of other artists he played with includes Bonnie Raitt,
the Bee Gees, Jackson Browne, Michael McDonald, Lowell George, Hall
& Oates, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Nils Lofgren, Manhattan Transfer,
Greg Lake, George Benson, Larry Carlton, Paul McCartney, Pink Flyod,
Elton John, Michael Jackson, Peter Frampton, Airplay, Peter Allen,
America, and Stanley Clarke.

Jeff Porcaro suffered a heart attack and died on August 5, 1992. He was
using a pesticide in his yard and an allergic reaction to the substance
triggered the attack. An autopsy revealed a serious heart condition
that had been previously undiagnosed. A report issued by the office of
the Los Angeles County Coroner a month later also mentioned that a
minute trace of cocaine was found in his body. Although traces of
cocaine can remain in a body for years, the media latched on to the
drug reference and widely reported that cocaine abuse was the cause of
death. Unfortunately this rumor persists, in spite of repeated
statements by those who knew him well that he had not used the drug for
many years.

Jeff's funeral, attended by an estimated 1500 people, was held August
10th in the Hall of Liberty at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood
Hills), where he was buried. The Jeff Porcaro Memorial Fund was
established to benefit the music and art departments of Grant High
School in Los Angeles where Jeff was a student in the early 70s. It
also provides four scholarships each year to Grant High School seniors.
A memorial concert took place at the Universal Amphitheater in Los
Angeles on December 14th, with an all-star line up that included Boz
Scaggs, Donald Fagen, Don Henley, Michael McDonald, Eddie Van Halen,
and, of course, Toto. The proceeds of the concert were used to
establish an educational trust fund for Jeff's sons.

Jeff was survived by his parents Joe and Eileen, brothers Mike and
Steve, sister Joleen, wife Susan, and sons Christopher, Miles and Nico,
and by many, many friends and fans who will never forget him.