Boston lead singer Tommy DeCarlo dies at 60 after brain cancer battle

KiMi Robinson, USA TODAYMon, March 9, 2026 at 11:33 PM UTC

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Tommy DeCarlo, a singer who made the leap from fan to touring lead vocalist for the rock band Boston, has died. He was 60.

"It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of our dad, Tommy DeCarlo, on Monday, March 9th, 2026. After being diagnosed with brain cancer last September, he fought with incredible strength and courage right up until the very end," a message shared on his social media accounts read.

"During this difficult time, we kindly ask that friends and fans respect our family’s privacy as we grieve and support one another," the statement, signed by Annie, Talia and Tommy DeCarlo Jr., continued. "Rest in peace, Dad."

Tommy DeCarlo of Boston performs at the Hard Rock Live on April 14, 2017, in Hollywood, Florida.

According to the family's GoFundMe fundraiser created in December, DeCarlo "suffered a sudden brain bleed" in September and underwent emergency surgery. Doctors discovered cancerous masses during the procedure, and DeCarlo underwent treatment until he was hospitalized from November through December after another brain bleed.

He was later "back on track with treatments from his oncology team" after completing acute inpatient therapy.

The homepage for Boston's website features a tribute, which reads "Tommy DeCarlo" and "April 23, 1965-March 9, 2026." USA TODAY has reached out to the band's representative for comment.

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"Country Joe" McDonald, who became a Woodstock festival legend and fronted the band Country Joe and the Fish, has died at age 84.

The singer, born Joseph Allen McDonald, died March 7, in Berkeley, California, from complications from Parkinson's disease, according to a statement from the band that was shared on Facebook. McDonald served as the lead singer and co-founder of the 1960s psychedelic folk-rock group Country Joe and the Fish, and he wrote the group's most enduring songs, including the protest song against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, titled "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die Rag." That track became a battle cry and was immortalized, along with an infamous f-word cheer during his 1969 Woodstock performance.

Tommy DeCarlo's Boston predecessor Brad Delp died exactly 19 years ago

DeCarlo toured with Boston for more than a decade after taking over vocals from early member Brad Delp, who died by suicide exactly 19 years ago on March 9, 2007.

DeCarlo – an upstate New York-born musician who was working at a North Carolina Home Depot as a credit manager – was 12 when he started listening to Boston's early releases. Decades later, he started recording covers and posting them on his daughter's MySpace page, according to his Spotify artist profile.

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But it was after writing a song in tribute to Delp, whom he credited as his musical inspiration, that he finally got on the band's radar. With his daughter's encouragement, he posted the track on MySpace and sent the link to the band, along with an offer to perform it at their upcoming tribute show.

"I truly have to thank Brad Delp for helping me develop that gift. When I first began to listen to Boston as a young teenager, I absolutely loved Brad’s voice and how he would sing those classic hits whenever there was a Boston song on the radio," DeCarlo recounted on the band's website. "It wasn’t like I was trying to sing like Brad, it was just that I loved to sing along with him."

The rock band Boston performs at the Hard Rock Live on April 14, 2017, in Hollywood, Florida.

He added, "Brad's voice gave me hope and inspiration at times in my life when I needed it. I have said that I never took any singing lessons, but that’s not exactly true. It was Brad who taught me how to sing, even though he never knew it."

Founder Tom Scholz heard DeCarlo's cover of "Don’t Look Back" weeks later and was shocked by the singer's talent and resemblance to Delp's voice. Per Boston's website, Scholz said, "I haven't heard anyone else sing like that in 35 years."

DeCarlo performed "Smokin'" and "Party" at the tribute concert, which took place at what was then known as the Bank of America Pavilion, and the rest is history.

Tommy DeCarlo sings with Sixwire during Christmas Pudding, the annual benefit for Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Centers, at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix on Dec. 9, 2023.

Boston's most recent musical circuit was 2017's Hyper Space Tour.

This year, Boston is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its self-titled debut album, which featured hits "More Than a Feeling" and "Peace of Mind," on Aug. 25. "Boston" reigns as one of the best-selling debut albums in U.S. history and was followed by two Billboard chart-topping albums, 1978 sophomore album "Don't Look Back" and 1986's "Third Stage."

DeCarlo had other musical ventures outside of Boston, including a band he'd started with his son, Decarlo, which released two records: "Lightning Strikes Twice" (2020) and its 2022 follow-up, "Dancing in the Moonlight."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tommy DeCarlo dies – Boston lead singer battled brain cancer

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