Pat Torpey, former drummer of Mr. Big, passed away on February 7, 2017.
On May 23rd, Mr. Big will perform a show at the Canyon Club in California as a tribute to Pat Torpey, the band's drummer who passed away on February 7th due to Parkinson's disease. Read more here.
Richie Kotzen, who was a member of Mr. Big between 1999 and 2002, will also participate in the tribute. More guests will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Mr. Big was formed in the late 1980s and produced several hit songs, such as "Alive and Kicking ," "Just Take My Heart," and "To Be With You ." The band's last album , Defying Gravity, was released in July 2017.
Pat Torpey was born in Cleveland, and during his career he recorded and toured with major names in music, such as Robert Plant and Ted Nugent. "I have been dealing with Parkinson's symptoms for the past two years and recently received confirmation of the diagnosis ," Torpey said at the time. "I intend to fight the disease with the same intensity that I play drums and live my life, and I will continue recording and playing, as always, giving the best of my ability."
Pat played drums in Mr. Big until 2014, when, due to Parkinson's disease, he switched to playing percussion and doing backing vocals.
