Jeff Porcaro of Rock Band Toto Dies of Apparent Allergic Reaction

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Drummer Jeff Porcaro of the Grammy-winning rock band Toto died of an apparent allergic reaction to pesticides he was using in his yard, his manager said Thursday.

Porcaro, 38, was spraying pesticides in the garden of his home in suburban Hidden Hills on Wednesday when he collapsed, said manager Larry Fitzgerald.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital Wednesday evening, said Margaret White, a spokeswoman for the coroner’s office. An autopsy was planned to determine the exact cause of death, she said.

″He was doing a little yard work,″ said Fitzgerald. ″The doctor believes the pesticides somehow triggered an allergic reaction and he suffered a cardiac arrest.″

Porcaro’s wife, Susan, and their three young sons, Miles, Nico and Chris, were home at the time, he said. A funeral will probably be held Monday in the San Fernando Valley, Fitzgerald said.

Porcaro, his brother, Steve, Bobby Kimball, Steve Lukather, David Paich and David Hungate were notable Los Angeles session musicians when they formed Toto and released their first album in 1977. Individually, they played with Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs, Aretha Franklin, Jackson Browne, Barbra Streisand and others.

Toto’s hits included ″Hold the Line″ in 1977, and ″Rosanna″ and ″Africa″ in 1982.

In 1983, the group dominated the music industry Grammy Awards show by winning in six categories. At the same time, Mike Porcaro, another brother, replaced Hungate on bass.

Jeff Porcaro had just returned from a family vacation in Florida and the band was scheduled to begin rehearsals for a concert tour supporting their new Sony Records album ″Kingdom of Desire.″

In addition to his wife, children and brothers, Porcaro is survived by his father, jazz percussionist Joe Porcaro, his mother and his sister.