Metal Church Singer Mike Howe Has Died at Age 55
Metal Church singer Mike Howe has died at the age of 55.
The band broke the news of his death, which came yesterday (July 26) on social media and stated, “It is with our deepest regrets that we must announce the passing of our brother, our friend and true legend of heavy metal music. Mike Howe passed away this morning at his home in Eureka, California. We are devastated and at a loss for words. Please respect our privacy and the Howe family’s privacy during this most difficult time.”
Howe was born on Aug. 21, 1965 in Taylor, Michigan and moved to Los Angeles as a young adult with his band Hellion, which was later renamed to Snair. Once out on the west coast, he recorded one album, 1988’s Breaking Point, with power/thrash group Heretic before joining Metal Church that same year as the replacement for singer David Wayne.
The impact Howe made on the band was immediate, proving to be a more than worthy successor of the celebrated Wayne (who later died in 2005). Howe first fronted Metal Church from 1988 through 1995 and contributed to three albums: Blessing in Disguise (19889, The Human Factor (1991) and Hanging in the Balance (1993) and then retired from music and focused on raising a family while pursuing a career as a carpenter.
In 2015, however, after spending two decades removed from the music industry, the singer made his long-awaited return to Metal Church and sang on the 2016 record XI and its followup, Damned If You Do, which was released in 2018. The From the Vault collection, a 2020 release, featured four new studio tracks, B-sides and a handful of covers and will ostensibly serve as the singer’s last contributions to the long-standing heavy metal band.
Loudwire extends our condolences to the Howe family, Metal Church and all who knew the singer. Rest in peace.