Toto has been known for its many lineup changes over the past 50 years, but the “classic” era of the beloved rock band featured Bobby Kimball on vocals. During Kimball’s original run as lead singer in the late 1970s and early '80s, the band scored several Top 5 singles, including “Hold the Line,” “Africa,” and “Rosanna,” as well as a slew of Grammys.
But Kimball was fired from Toto in 1984 due to drug use that affected his ability to perform, founding member Steve Porcaro told Classic Rock in an interview. While Kimball was invited back to the band for a 10-year stint in the late 1990s, he was not part of a 2010 reunion, which instead featured vocalist Joseph Williams. Williams also replaced Kimball for the latest incarnation of Toto. The band is currently on tour in South America and will head to the U.S. for shows in early 2026.
The absence of Kimball, 78, from the band’s lineup has long sparked rumors of a feud, but founding member Steve Lukather set the record straight during a recent appearance on the Rockonteurs podcast.
“You know… there was all this bulls— in the early ’90s about how we were mortal enemies and all this crap,” he said. “I love Bobby Kimball. He’s one of the greatest singers I’ve ever been around. When the voice was on… he was untouchable.”
“Listen, I love Bobby, we’ve been in touch, but he’s starting to lose touch with who he is now because of, you know, dementia,” Lukather shared. “It’s very sad, and I have no right to talk about it. I love him, and… there’s a third party involved that sends love.”
A post on Kimball’s official website confirmed that he suffers from Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and is “not able to perform anymore.”
Years before Kimball’s FTD diagnosis was made public, Lukather talked about the difficult decision to fire him from the band. But when asked about the 2010 reunion tour that excluded Kimball, he refused to fuel speculation of a feud with his former bandmate. “I don’t want any enemies in this world,” he told Classic Rock in 2015. “Life is too short, man."
In a 2021 interview with 100 Percent Rock magazine, Lukather confirmed that he was in contact with Kimball and was still friends with him “contrary to popular belief."
“The guy’s got dementia, and I’m trying to hang on with them, and we made our peace a long time ago,” the Toto guitarist said. “The press just keeps it alive. I mean, he’s got hearing problems, he’s got brain problems, he’s got all kinds of problems. … But I never hated Bobby Kimball. I hated some of the stupid things he did. And I said some really nasty s--- I wish I didn’t say, because I was angry. And that perpetuated this media-driven feud that we supposedly had that like never really existed.“
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