METAL CHURCH singer Mike Howe was found dead in his home in Eureka, California on Monday, July 26. According to website TMZ, Howe’s official cause of death was determined to be asphyxia due to hanging. His death is being ruled as a suicide.
According to police, drugs and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the death and no controlled substances or paraphernalia were located at the scene.
Earlier today, the surviving members of METAL CHURCH issued the following statement in response to the TMZ report, saying: “If you knew Mike Howe, then you knew he was a truly good human being who loved his friends, his family and his many fans around the world. He would always go the extra mile to make someone feel good and he would always give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. We ask that you remember Mike in that way and for the amazing metal music he created.
“As to what really happened? He was victimized by a failing health-care system and subsequently poisoned by the venom of Big Pharma,” they wrote, using a term which refers collectively to the global pharmaceutical industry. “In short and in essence, he fell prey to the real ‘Fake Healer’…enough said. #truth
“Godspeed Mike Howe, WE LOVE YOU!!!”