Michael Fonfara, Keyboardist for Lou Reed, Dead at 74
Michael Fonfara, the keyboardist best known for his tenure alongside Lou Reed, has died at the age of 74.
The Canadian musician passed away in a Toronto hospital on Jan. 8, the tragic culmination of a two-year battle with cancer. The keyboardist’s death was confirmed by his publicist.
Between 1974 and 1980, Fonfara played on a total of six Lou Reed albums:
Sally Can’t Dance,
Rock and Roll Heart,
Coney Island Baby,
The Bells and
The Bells and co-wrote and co-produced
Growing Up in Public.
Beyond working together, Fonfara and Reed were also close friends. Lou and I used to do quite a bit of hanging for a while. I lived about two blocks away from Lou on the Lower West Side, the keyboardist recalled during a conversation with author Damien Love. He’d call me up at three in the morning, Michael, get over here… And I’d go over, and it would turn out all he wanted to do was have a glass of Scotch and listen
Lou Reed Keyboardist Michael Fonfara Dead at 74 lmtonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lmtonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
10 January 2021
Share with:
Internationally renowned Canadian keyboard player, Michael Fonfara has died in a Toronto hospital on January 8, 2021, due to complications from his two-year battle with cancer. He was 74.
Born in Stevensville, ON, Canada in 1946, the former Lou Reed keyboardist/bandleader appeared on nine of Reed s albums between 1974 and 2005, including his highest charting US 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.
A supremely talented musician, Fonfara loved many different styles of music, performing on British-American Rock band Foreigner s iconic album 4, produced by Mutt Lange, including their Top 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit Urgent . He also recorded with The Everly Brothers, Rough Trade, Rhinoceros, Electric Flag and was a current and 30-year plus member of Canadia