Prestia started playing guitar when he was 10, and by age 14, he auditioned for a band led by Castillo, who was a classmate. His father died when Prestia was just 5 years old. “As a bass player he was unique and as a person, he was one of a kind,” Castillo wrote on Facebook. Legendary bassist Francis ‘Rocco’ Prestia, from Californian funk band Tower Of Power, passed away on September 29. He was born in Sonora, California.He was best known for his work with the funk band Tower of Power. Together with David Garibaldi they created one of the tightest rhythm sections in funk music. The Great Bassist... FRANCIS ROCCO PRESTIA The Great Band... TOWER OF POWER Signing to Warner Bros. for 1972’s “Bump City,” the multiethnic group had a spectacular run with uninhibited, brass-heavy releases like 1973’s “Tower of Power,” 1974’s “Back to Oakland” and 1975’s “Urban Renewal,” all prominently featuring iconic imagery of the band’s hometown. He was 69 and was at a hospice center in Las Vegas. Francis Rocco Prestia (Tower Of Power) died aged 69. © 2021 Google LLC. It’s time for me to move on.”. “He drove the groove like no other.”. Tower of Power's bassist Rocco Prestia has died at the age of 69. The influential funk musician had been battling various illnesses over the past two decades, and in 2014 he underwent a kidney transplant. prayers 2family & tower of power fam. Francis Rocco Prestia - Bass. All rights reserved. prayers 2family & tower of power fam. Prestia’s syncopated, muted style of playing influenced the sound of funk and soul bass players in the 1970s, most prominently Jaco Pastorius. Prestia and TOP drummer David Garibaldi powered the band’s hard-driving funk. Louder is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. All at Prog send their condolences to Prestia’s family, former bandmates and friends. He was mentored by jazz guitarist Terry Saunders, but both Saunders and Castillo persuaded Prestia to switch to the electric bass. Longtime Tower of Power bassist Francis “Rocco” Prestia has passed away after an extended health battle. Tower of Power bassist and singer, Francis Rocco Prestia Jr., died at the age of … He was 69 and was at a hospice center in Las Vegas. But he wasn’t able to complete his new album before his death. “When people listened to Tower of Power it was always Rocco that they walked away talking about and he had a major impact on the music world.”. Garabaldi posted his own tribute to Prestia on his Facebook page: “My brother Francis Rocco Prestia has gone to be with the Lord,” he wrote. The Oakland, California band’s leader Emilio Castillo confirmed the news on the official Tower Of Power Facebook page, writing: “Our dear "Rocco" passed away last night, peacefully with his family by his side at a hospice in Las Vegas. Francis Rocco Prestia Dies: Bassist For Tower Of Power Was 69. I’ve been blessed on so many levels, I can’t count them all. Francis “Rocco” Prestia, the bass player for the East Bay funk band Tower Of Power for more than 30 years, died at a hospice center in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Prestia’s flexible playing, dubbed “Finger Style Funk,” can be heard on tracks that defined the Tower of Power sound in the 1970s, including “You’re Still a Young Man,” “Don’t Change Horses (In the Middle of the Stream),” and the 1973 hit “What Is Hip?”. As a bass player he was totally unique and as a person he was one of a kind. Tower of Power's longtime bass player Francis "Rocco" Prestia, who laid the foundation for the group's soulful sound, died Wednesday night at age 69. The news was shared on social media with a note from bandleader Emilio Castillo. He fought a long fight over the last 20 years and now he's with the Lord and heaven is his home.”, “To say that Francis Rocco Prestia was a huge part of the Tower of Power sound is a gross understatement. Francis Rocco Prestia Jr. of Sonora, CA, popularly known as Rocco Prestia died with family, friends and loved ones left in total devastation. Technique and influences Prestia was a master of fingerstyle funk , a technique in which he lightly muted the strings with his left hand to get a percussive sound, with the pitch remaining clear and accurate. Longtime Tower of Power bassist Francis “Rocco” Prestia has died at the age of 69. He was 69 years old. Rocco Prestia, massively influential bassist known for his years with Tower of Power, has died at the age of 69. LAS VEGAS (CelebrityAccess) -- Francis "Rocco" Prestia, the longtime bassist for the legendary horn section and band Tower of Power, died on Tuesday night. (Laughs.) 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