Credit Phil Naro / Facebook
His family announced his death Monday at age 63 from cancer. He was a spectacular singer and performer with a powerful, distinctive voice, said his death notice. He left us with an extraordinary amount of music which will allow his artistic legacy to live on forever. He fought a valiant battle to the end, and we thank him for sharing his life, love, friendship and talent with the world.
Born Philip Sampognaro, the Emmy-winning singer achieved cult status and international fame in the 1980s with the band Talas, whose founding members were Billy Sheehan on bass, Dave Costantino on guitar and Paul Varga on drums. Talas was the first band inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame.