Doobie Brothers' Drummer Michael Hossack Dies at 65
Former drummer for the Doobie Brothers Michael Hossack has died at the age of 65 from cancer.
In a statement that was released by Hossack's manager Bruce Cohn, he explained that Hossack died Monday while he was at his home in Dubois, Wyoming.
Hossack first joined the band 1971 and would play for only a few years until 1973. He left the band to form the band known as Bonaroo. Sadly, the band broke up shortly after the release of their initial album.
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The Doobie Brothers were unique in the fact that they had two drummers. The band decided that having two drummers would create an indistinguishable percussion sound.
Hossack would later become a partner at a Southern California recording studio as well as play with the band DFK.
It would not be until 1987 before he would rejoin the Doobie Brothers where he remained until health issues forced him to leave the band in 2010.
"Mike has always been a part of my musical life and the life of the Doobie Brothers," said band co-founder Tom Johnston. "He was an incredible musician."
Hossack, who grew up in New Jersey, played in various drum and bugle corps as a youngster. He said the experience prepared him for playing in a two-drummer band such as the Doobie Brothers, according to the Associated Press.
Cohn quoted him as saying: "People always ask me of it's hard to play with another drummer. I tell them that after playing along with up to 12 other drummers at once in the drum corps, this is a snap."
Hossack served in the Navy during the Vietnam War and is survived by a son and daughter.
The Doobie Brothers have sold over 40 million albums worldwide throughout their career. The Doobie Brothers were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004.
