More sad news to report as Michael Fonfara, keyboard player and producer for Foreigner and Loud Reed. He died in a Toronto hospital on January 8, 2021, due to complications from his two-year battle with cancer. He was 74. According to a report from Blabbermouth.net, Fonfara, was born in Stevensville, Ontario in 1946, the former Lou Reed keyboardist/bandleader appeared on nine of Reed’s albums between 1974 and 2005, including his highest-charting U.S. album (#10) “Sally Can’t Dance” on RCA, as well as “Rock And Roll Heart”, “Street Hassle”, “The Bells” (which Fonfara executive produced) and “Growing Up In Public” that was co-written and co-produced by Fonfara for Clive Davis’ Arista Records in 1980. More recently he worked with Downchild. 2018 Juno Award (Canadian equivalent of a Grammy Award) winners Downchild include some of the most well-respected musicians in Canada, who have performed together for over 25 years — guitarist, harmonica player, leader and co-founder of the band Walsh, lead singer and harmonica player Chuck Jackson, Pat Carey on tenor sax, Mike Fitzpatrick on drums, Kendall on bass, and Fonfara on keyboards. Fonfara is survived by his wife Avril, his daughters Ashley and Ciara and his grandchildren Brooklyn, Camden, Jamie and Jaxon. RIP.
