It was announced on July 26 that, sadly, Metal Church vocalist Mike Howe is no longer with us. The band has issued the following statement:

"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."

Savatage / Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery has paid tribute to Howe via social media:

"Completely speechless.

In 2016, I was given the opportunity to play guitar on a tour with Metal Church. This was their tour with the return of the legendary Mike Howe on vocals. 

Not only was it an honor to play with this band. It was a complete pleasure to tour with Mike and listen to him sing every night. In 2019, I had the opportunity once again to share the stage with him on a tour playing with Doro. This tour I just had the opportunity to watch him perform since I was playing guitar with Doro. But I spent a lot of time talking to Mike and wandering some of our locations together.

I thank you for all of your kind words and friendship with our time together on the road.

RIP Mike Howe.

Heaven's band of legends just got another amazing singer."

Mike Howe was the singer of Metal Church from 1988 - 1996, and again from 2015 - 2021. Howe made his Metal Church debut on Blessing In Disguise, and his final work with the band was Damned If You Do. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

All of us at BraveWords send our condolences to Mike Howe's family, bandmates, friends, and fans. R.I.P.