Tommy DeCarlo served as the lead vocalist of the rock band Boston since their original singer, Brad Delp, died by suicide on March 9, 2007. Now, exactly 19 years later, DeCarlo has also passed away in Charlotte, North Carolina, after a six-month cancer battle, aged 60.
His son, Tommy Jr, and daughters, Annie and Talia, announced the death via social media.
“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… Rest in peace, Dad. With love…” the statement read.
The sibling trio has also asked their father’s fans and fans to give them “privacy” to grieve and support each other during the tragedy.
Tom Scholz is the founder, lead songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist for Boston. His original lineup also comprised late lead vocalist Brad Delp, drummer Jim Masdea, and guitarist Barry Goudreau.
In the wake of Tommy DeCarlo’s demise, Scholz has paid his tribute via a statement to USA Today. He began:
“This morning Tommy lost his fight with cancer. Everyone who has heard Tommy sing on stage, or on BOSTON albums, knows what a gifted artist he was, but few know how hard he worked to fill that role of BOSTON’s lead vocalist, and to turn himself into a top-tier live performer – or more importantly, what a dedicated father he was to his children.”
Scholz remembered DeCarlo as a “sweet man” with a “gentle soul” who did not deserve to be cut down at his prime. He also mentioned that true to his favourite song, To Be a Man, Tommy was someone who did know “what it took to be a man.”
“While many people will remember Tommy giving his audience amazing live performances, I will remember him as the incredible singer who appeared out of nowhere to rescue BOSTON in 2007, and gave all of us with the band 10 additional years of performing our most memorable live shows. Rest in peace, Tommy…” Scholz concluded.
All about Boston’s lineup amid Tommy DeCarlo’s demise
According to Grunge, Tom Schulz is a MIT-graduated mechanical engineer who was working as a product developer for Polaroid in the 1970s. However, unhappy with his 9-to-5 job, he pursued rock music at his basement studio, where he tried to make already existing songs technically better.
Around the same time, he began playing keyboard and bass guitar for a band called Mother’s Milk, where he came across Brad Delp and Barry Goudreau. However, when the trio were rejected by over 20 recording labels, Scholz exited the band and continued perfecting existing records.
Fortunately, one of his Polaroid colleagues had a relative at ABC Records, who sent one of Tom Scholz’s covers to an executive named Charles McKenzie, who forwarded it to their California office. There, record promoter Paul Ahern was impressed by Scholz’s arrangement and sent it to Epic Records. The label, in turn, offered a deal to Scholz.
However, before signing the contract, Epic Records asked Tom Scholz and his “band” to perform at a private concert for their executives. However, at the time, Scholz was only working with Delp and had no idea what to do. This is when the duo invited Goudreau, Masdea, bassist Fran Sheehan, and drummer Dave Currier.
Impressed by their performance, Epic Records finalized the contract. Meanwhile, Currier exited after Scholz reportedly failed to pay him for their gig. He was replaced by drummer Sib Hashian.
John Boylan was hired by the label as the group’s brand-new producer and sent them to Los Angeles to record their debut studio album. However, Scholz and Delp already had materials ready. While the rest of the band were in L.A. doing “light recording sessions,” Scholz spent weeks at his home studio giving the final touches. Eventually, he moved to L.A., joined the tribe and completed the project.
Despite a ready first album, the band still didn’t have an official name. For a while, they used Scholz-Delp, as both their names were on the contract. However, soon they picked the name Boston as he loved the city, which gave him prominence in the early 1970s. In fact, the Ohio native Scholz recalled how the Boston-based radio station WBZ gave him his first taste of rock music.
Boylan and audio engineer Warren Dewey green-signalled the name and agreed it was perfect, as Beantown was where the band conceptualized and the members first came together.
The rest is history. Boston’s self-titled album peaked at number 3 on Billboard charts and sold 17 million records. It also gave the band its most popular singles, including Peace of Mind, Long Time, and More Than a Feeling. The debut album also earned the band its first Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
In less than a year, Boston began opening acts for A-list rock bands like Black Sabbath, Foghat, and Jeff Beck. It also began headlining own tours and had a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
After a successful global tour in 1979, Tom Scholz gave Boston a year-long hiatus and reportedly gave his blessing to the band members to pursue other projects. However, when Delp and Hashian collaborated with Goudreau on his eponymous solo album in 1980, it upset Scholz. He seemingly thought Goudreau was trying to take credit for Boston’s initial success.
This is when Scholz reunited the band and fired Goudreau, who went and formed his own group, Orion the Hunter, in 1981. Brad Delp helped with lyrics and backing vocals for Orion the Hunter’s 1984 album, which included the hit single, So You Ran.
In the 1980s, Tom Scholz and Epic Records got into a legal battle after the latter sued Boston for not delivering the 10 albums within first six years, according to the original contract. Meanwhile, Scholz countersued, claiming that the label prevented him from signing with others.
After seven years in and out of courts, a jury ruled in 1990 that neither Boston had violated the contract nor had Epic Records conspired against the band. In fact, the band did move on to MCA Records in the aftermath of this.
Boston went on to release its second and third albums, Don’t Look Back and Third Stage, respectively. The latter comprised the chart-topping single, Amanda, alongside other songs such as We’re Ready and Can’tcha Say (You Believe in Me).
While the rest of the members continued to work on Boston as well as occasional solo and collaborative projects, Tom Scholz formed his own recording gear company called Scholz Research and Development. Its products, “Power Soak” and “Rockman,” went viral among all musicians of the era.
With the turn of the century, Scholz focused on turning his songs into MP3s. However, unsure of how they would do, he released the song Corporate America under a pseudonym. When it became a hit, Tom revealed it was a Boston song and turned the whole thing into an album, led by the single.
As for Brad Delp, he was working in a factory making heating coils for coffee machines when he first met Tom Scholz. While he was the only original member who stuck around, reports of a longstanding feud between him and Scholz emerged at the time of his death in 2007.
Delp died by suicide at his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire, from carbon monoxide poisoning. He was 55. In his suicide note, he called himself a “lonely soul” and took “complete and sole responsibility” for his death, adding he lost his will to live.
While the Boston website called Delp the “nicest guy in rock n’ roll,” Scholz faced scrutiny. Brad’s ex-wife, Micki, accused Tom of contributing to his depression while speaking with the Boston Herald. However, when Scholz challenged the allegations and sued for defamation, the court ruled in his favor.
As for John Hashian, he died from a heart attack in 2017 while performing at Boston’s “Legends of Rock” residency on a cruise in Florida. It was his comeback to the band after his early departure. Hashian was 67.
Following Brad Delp’s demise and his subsequent inclusion in the band, Tommy DeCarlo called him his “hope and inspiration.” The former credit manager of Home Depot also mentioned it was Delp who helped him develop his “gift” of singing.
The current lineup of Boston includes frontman Tom Scholz, guitarist Gary Phil, bassist Tracy Ferrie, vocalist Beth Cohen, and drummer Jeff Neal. Tommy DeCarlo was actively involved until his cancer diagnosis in September 2025. The last studio album, Life, Love, and Hope, came out in 2013.
Edited by Pallavi K