Todd Sampson, who helped found MIA in 1980, has passed away reports Las Vegas Weekly. He died early Sunday morning at age 46 after being helped offstage toward the end of an M.I.A. show at the Black Door. The cause is unknown. His close friend Rob Ruckus described the sad incident:
He just started going down during the show. Backstage afterwards, he was totally burning up, kinda going out of it. We tried putting ice on his head, cooling him down with water … we loaded him into the truck and got his breathing slowed down; he actually walked into his house on his own. But he started heating up again, and then he started hyperventilating, so we raced him to the hospital as fast as we could, but he stopped breathing on the way. When we got to the hospital there was no heartbeat.
Sampson was the original vocalist of the band until they moved from Las Vegas to Newport Beach, California when he was replaced by late bassist Mike Conley. He went on to form Self Abuse in 1981 and Samsons Army, in 1984. After Conley passed away in 2008, Sampson rejoined MIA.
Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.
Jello Biafra sent us the following message about Todd:
I am totally shocked. I was just getting to know Todd, as a great musician and performer, and above all as a friend. He was a real natural.Here at Alternative Tentacles, we are devastated. Our hearts and wishes go out to his son Daz, his girlfriend, the MIA family, and all those wh…o loved him.
Whatever you do, please don't give up. Todd never did. He will be truly missed.