Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has shared an emotional tribute to his sister, Samantha Leone Cattaneo, who passed away on October 29th 2024 due to cancer while he was performing live with the band. Portnoy posted on Instagram to mark the anniversary of her death.
Samantha Leone Cattaneo died after battling cancer throughout the year. Portnoy received the news about 30 minutes before he was due to perform with Dream Theater in Zagreb, Croatia. Despite the devastating circumstances, he decided to play the show that night.
“I can’t believe it’s already been 2 years…Miss you Sis! Samantha Leone Cattaneo. March 6th 1970 – October 29th 2024,” Portnoy wrote.
He previously described that difficult night in detail. “Tonight in Zagreb Croatia was one of the hardest shows I’ve ever had to play,” Portnoy said. “About 30 minutes before showtime, I received a call from my brother that my loving sister Samantha Leone Cattaneo had just passed away. My sister had been battling Cancer all year and the last few days she took a turn for the worse…it’s been a devastating couple of days for me and my family knowing the inevitable was coming…”
The drummer explained how the band honoured his sister during the performance. “As hard as it was, tonights show went on and James dedicated The Spirit Carries On to her…this picture is from tonight…those lights in the air were for Sam…I wept like a baby the entire time (John even came and sat beside me at my kit for the ending solo which meant so much to me…)” he continued.
Portnoy added that his sister had been a devoted fan of Dream Theater. “My sister was always one of DT’s biggest fans & supporters and us reuniting meant soooo much to her,” he wrote. “She wanted so badly to be in London but her health had declined so quickly that it was impossible for her to travel. But she told me she watched some videos of the show online in the hospital and I know how happy it made her.”
Portnoy’s tribute came as he marked the time that has passed since his sister’s death while battling cancer.
Mike Portnoy’s reunion with Dream Theater in 2023 held special meaning for his sister. After leaving the band in 2010, Portnoy returned to perform with Dream Theater for their 40th-anniversary tour in 2024. The reunion meant a great deal to Samantha, who was among the band’s most devoted fans and supporters.
The 40th-anniversary tour kicked off with a show in London at the O2 arena on October 20, 2024, followed by a 23-date European trek that was set to wrap up in late November in Amsterdam. Samantha had hoped to attend the opening show in London, but her declining health made travel impossible. Instead, she watched some performances online from the hospital, finding comfort in seeing her brother reunited with the band he co-founded.
The song “The Spirit Carries On,” which James dedicated to Samantha during the Zagreb performance, explores existential themes about life, death, and the afterlife. Its spiritual message made it a poignant choice to honor Samantha on the night she died, as Portnoy wept during the performance and found solace in his bandmates’ support during one of the most difficult moments of his life.
