Brett Tuggle dead aged 70 after marathon cancer battle

20 June 2022

Brett Tuggle has died aged 70 after a long cancer battle.

Brett Tuggle has died aged 70 after a long cancer battle

The former Fleetwood Mac and David Lee Roth Band keyboardist’s passing prompted a flood of tributes on Monday night (20.06.22), including from fellow rocker Rick Springfield.

He tweeted alongside a selection of photos of the pair from over the years: “Our sweet Brett Tuggle made it home tonight. God bless his beautiful spirit.”

Journeyman keyboardist Tuggle did two decades in Fleetwood Mac during their reunion era and served as a founding member of the David Lee Roth Band in the 1980s.

He died June 19 from complications related to his marathon cancer fight, and is survived by his son Matt and daughter Michelle.

Matt told Rolling Stone: “He was loved by his family so much.

“His family was with him throughout the entire time of his illness. He was a lovely father. He gave me music in my life.”

Tuggle also played with Jimmy Page, Rick Springfield, David Coverdale, John Kay and Steppenwolf, Styx’s Tommy Shaw and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.

During his time with David Lee Roth he co-wrote the 1988 hit ‘Just Like Paradise’.

Tuggle entered Fleetwood Mac’s world in 1992 when he landed a gig with Mick Fleetwood’s side project the Zoo and remained in the band’s orbit through Lindsey Buckingham’s solo tour late in 2021.

He played keyboards on every Fleetwood Mac tour from 1997 to 2017.

Buckingham, 72, said of Tuggle while introducing his band at Washington DC’s Warner Theater on September 14, 2021: “This guy is just a master. He is a superb keyboardist, bassist, guitarist, singer.

“And he also brings so much clarity and integrity. There’s no way in the world we could do this without him. We’ve never been able to do it without him, nor could we in the future. We love him to death.”

Tuggle grew up in Denver, Colorado and fell in love with music as a youth.

He told Rolling Stone in 2020: “Like everyone else in the country, we got sucked in by the surf scene.

“The Beach Boys were a huge influence in junior high. I got sucked into the harmony thing with them. And like everybody else, pretty much, I saw The Beatles on TV and things were never the same.”