Fergie Frederiksen Dies

Legendary AOR frontman Dennis Hardy ‘Fergie’ Frederiksen has died at age 62 after finally succumbing to inoperable liver cancer.

Frederiksen, who was born on May 15, 1951 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, fronted Toto for their 1984 album Isolation, taking over from Bobby Kimball and singing on the bulk of the album’s 10 tracks. He also shared vocal duties with keysman David Paich on the the hit single Stranger In Town.

Frederiksen left Toto shortly afterward but later rejoined them for selected dates on their 2007 tour. More recently, he and Kimball staged some performances together, despite Frederiken’s condition worsening after contracting Hepatitis C.

Frederiksen had risen to prominence as the frontman of Trillion and Le Roux; he also provided background vocals on Survivor’s hit 1982 album Eye Of The Tiger. He released a solo album, Any Given Moment, as a recently as last year.

“It is with a heavy heart I tell you that my soulbrother Fergie Frederiksen passed away today,” a message on Frederiksen’s website says. “He was in no pain. His legacy lives on.”