Fans of Fleetwood Mac are saddened by the news of the death of the band’s keyboardist Brett Tuggle. He died on 19 June 2022 and he was 70 years old at the time of his death. The news left people wondering did he leave behind a wife? Was he ever married?
We’ve put together this article to answer all of your questions. So, keep reading to learn more about Brett Tuggle’s married life.
Brett Tuggle Cause Of Death
Matt Tuggle, son of Brett Tuggle confirmed the news of his death to Rolling Stone. He revealed the cause of Brett Tuggle’s death as “complications related to prostate/bone cancer”. He told the outlet, “He was loved by his family so much. His family was with him throughout the entire time of his illness. He was a lovely father. He gave me music in my life”.
Fans from all over the world paid tribute to Brett on social media. One Twitter user wrote, “Our sweet Brett Tuggle made it home tonight. God bless his beautiful spirit.”
Billy Sheehan, the guitarist of David Lee Roth also paid his tribute. He wrote on Twitter, “Brett Tuggle—truly the ‘secret weapon’ of the Eat ‘Em & Smile band and tour. Loved by everyone that ever met him, and gifted with supreme talent—Rest in Peace. We will never forget you”.
Another user added, “Really sad to hear about Brett Tuggle’s passing. Spent quite a bit of time with him during my Stevie days. I’m glad we reconnected before the pandemic. Big loss for the extended Fleetwood Mac family. Rest In Peace, Tuggs”.
Did Brett Tuggle Leave Behind A Wife?
No, Brett Tuggle was single at the time of his death. Hence, he didn’t leave a wife behind when he died.
Was Brett Tuggle Ever Married?
Yes, Brett Tuggle was previously married. He married Paula Disalle-Leeds.
Meanwhile, Paula’s sister Jody DiSalle O’Meara married Brian O’Meara who was also a musician. After his death, Brian wrote on his Facebook, “I met Brett Tuggle when he was 15 and I was 19. It was 1967. He was playing Chopin on the piano. I was blown away. This was a month after my first band, The Daniel’s, and broken up by the Vietnam War and I was looking for a new band.”
Brian added further, “I knew at that moment he was a rare talent. We put a band together called the US Male. Brett and I made music together for several years with a bunch of other super talented musicians. Brett and I married the DiSalle sisters, Jody DiSalle O’Meara and Paula Disalle-Leeds making us brothers-in-law”.
Together, they welcomed a daughter named Michelle Tuggle Schuhman. It is unclear for how many years did they stay married. But even after their divorce, Paula was still connected with Brett and they were on good terms.
On 25 June, Paula tagged Brett in a post that contained the poster of the song GOOD MORNING STARSHINE by Oliver, Good Morning Starshine is from the musical Hair (1967). It was a No. 3 hit in the United States in July 1969 and a No. 6 hit in the United Kingdom in October 1969 for the singer Oliver.
Paula captioned the post, “Brett Tuggle this song was playing when Michelle was born what a blessing”.
Speaking more about her daughter, Paula wrote in October 2018, “My beautiful family, I had Michelle when I was very young, I would do it all over again. Look what God gave me”.
Michelle is a mother of three children; Olivia Schuchman, Aleksi Schuchman, and Delaney Schuchman. She turned 53 years old in June 2022.
Paul has another son named Warner who turned 40 in November 2021.
It appears that Brett had Matthew with a different partner.
Matt is currently 34 years born, being born in November 1987.
Brett Tuggle Family
Brett Tuggle was born to his parents Thomas Tuggle and Melva Jean Tuggle. His mother was a native of Syracuse, Kansas who was born on 2 October 1932 to Fred W. and Ella M. (Kendrick) Raney.
Melva attended Johnson High School in Johnson, Kansas, and completed her college education at Colorado Women’s College in Denver. His parents divorced after his and his brother’s birth, and the family of three settled in Denver, Colorado.
Melva played a prominent role in instilling the love of music, and art, in Brett. She died at the age of 87 on 29 January 2020 in Hugoton, Kansas.
Meanwhile, their father Thomas Tuggle died on 15 August 2020 at the age of 89 in Tucson, Arizona. Thomas was the son of Milas “Mike” and Opal “Betty” Tuggle. He served in the United States Navy and attended Tulane University. He served as president and Chief Executive Officer in the consumer lending division of Liberty Financial.
After his divorce from Melva, Thomas married Barbara Ann Blue in 1966. Barbara preceded him in death when she passed away in November 2019.
Furthermore, Brett has a brother named Kent Tuggle of Lakeport, California.
Brett Tuggle Net Worth
Brett Tuggle’s journey as a keyboardist began as a young boy in Colorado when his mom brought home a piano. From that day he was hooked. To hone his skills further, he took classical piano lessons, begged his grandfather for his first guitar, which he taught himself how to play, and worked all summer on a farm to buy his first organ.
As a teenager, he joined local bands which helped launch him into a full-blown music career.
At the age of 19, Brett was opening for a band called Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. One of the headlining band’s crew members heard Brett’s band play and went to his buddies. They said, “Hey, you should hear the kid on guitar and organ in the opening band”.
Needless to say, the band came back the next night to hear Brett play. As fate would have it, they were on their way to Vancouver to play a gig and work with their producer Bob Ezrin, and they needed a guitar player. And just like that, Brett was off with his first real touring band to make a record.
Eventually, Brett moved to Texas to pursue a career in music. Later, he moved back to Colorado to start a band called Head First with some old friends. In 1979 producer Keith Olsen saw the band and asked Brett to go out to Los Angeles to meet a guitar player who needed a singer/keyboardist. Brett packed his keyboards, and with $2,000 in his pocket, he drove out to California, where he’s been ever since.
But it wasn’t until 1981 that his talent became common knowledge after he began sharing a stage with John Kay & Steppenwolf.
The following year, Tuggle met Rick Springfield and subsequently joined his band. He spent a few years performing gigs with the “Jessie’s Girl” hitmaker.
Brett later joined David Lee Roth and toured with him from 1986 to 1994 — making him one of The David Lee Roth Band’s founding members. The pair co-wrote the 1987 hit “Just Like Paradise.”
It wasn’t until 1997 that Brett’s glittering career led him to Fleetwood Mac. He joined the band during their reunion era for over two decades until 2018. He was a loose acquaintance of Mick Fleetwood’s after landing a gig for the musician’s band, Mick Fleetwood(‘s) Zoo.
After performing with the band for 21 years, Tuggle got an abrupt call saying he was out of the band.
He previously opened up about being dismissed from the band, saying it was because lead singer Stevie Nicks thought he was too close to fired guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.
Related FAQs
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Where Was Brett Tuggle Born?
Brett Tuggle was born and bred in Denver, Colorado.
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How Tall Was Brett Tuggle?
Brett Tuggle stood tall above the height of 5 feet 11 inches.
