Tommy DeCarlo, the frontman of American rock band Boston, has died aged 60, after battling brain cancer.
DeCarlo's wife Annie and his children Talia and Tommy Jr., said in posts on his Facebook and Instagram pages that he died on Monday 9 March. They said: “He fought with incredible strength and courage right up until the very end.”
Brad Delp, the original singer of the band founded in 1975 and had hits including ‘More Than a Feeling’, ‘Peace of Mind’ and ‘Amanda’, died by suicide in 2007 – also on 9 March.
DeCarlo, then a 43-year-old working at a Home Depot in North Carolina, wrote, sang and recorded a tribute song to Delp. He posted that song - along with some Boston covers - to his Myspace page and sent the link to the band. Founding guitarist and songwriter Tom Scholz invited DeCarlo to perform at a tribute concert for the late singer, before eventually asking him to join the band.
DeCarlo toured with Boston for nearly 20 years and sang on their 2013 album, ‘Life, Love and Hope’. He also formed his own band, DeCarlo, with his son Tommy DeCarlo Jr. in 2012. They released two albums: ‘Lightning Strikes Twice’ in 2020 and ‘Dancing In The Moonlight’ in 2022.
Boston’s self-titled debut album (1976) is regarded as a staple of 1970s rock and sold more than 17 million copies in the US alone and at least 20 million worldwide, making it one of the best-selling debut albums of all time.
