Tom Scholz, the founder and bandleader of the iconic rock group Boston, has long balanced a career in music with a personal passion for aviation. On a recent summer afternoon, Scholz was seen flying a large, custom-designed, radio-controlled airplane in an open field—a hobby he has nurtured since childhood in Toledo. His fascination with flight began with homemade gliders and evolved over the years to include licensed piloting of real aircraft in 1979.

Boston, Scholz’s band, achieved extraordinary commercial success, with its debut album selling more than 17 million copies in the United States alone, ranking it among the top three best-selling debut albums of all time. The band has sold over 31 million albums across six releases nationally. Despite this achievement, Boston’s history has been marked by internal discord, legal disputes, and personal tragedies.

By the mid-1980s, band dynamics had shifted significantly. Following the release of their third album, Third Stage, in 1986, Scholz had severed ties with key members Barry Goudreau and Fran Sheehan, minimized contributions from Sib Hashian, and reinstated drummer Jim Masdea. The band also faced legal challenges: CBS Records, Epic’s parent company, sued Scholz for allegedly missing a delivery deadline. Scholz won the suit and released Third Stage under MCA Records. Additionally, promoters Tom McKenzie and Herb Ahern, who had initially championed Boston’s demo to Epic, parted ways after the album’s release. McKenzie died in a 2002 car accident at 54, while Ahern later sued Scholz over alleged royalty disputes, eventually receiving a payout exceeding $500,000.

Tragedy has also touched the band’s members. Lead singer Brad Delp died by suicide in 2007 at age 55, revealing in his final note a long-standing battle with depression. The note included the phrase, “J’ai un âme solitaire. I am a lonely soul.” In the wake of Delp’s death, Scholz filed defamation suits against the Boston Herald and Delp’s ex-wife Micki Delp over published comments suggesting Scholz’s leadership contributed to the singer’s death. These cases were ultimately dismissed by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on the grounds of opinion protection.

Following Delp’s passing, Boston has seen a succession of vocalists fill the lead role. One prominent successor was Tommy DeCarlo, who captured Scholz’s attention through karaoke performances of Boston songs on MySpace. DeCarlo, a former Home Depot employee, served as the band’s frontman from 2007 until his death from brain cancer in March 2027 at age 60. Sib Hashian, the drummer featured on Boston’s first two albums, died of a heart attack onstage during a 2017 Legends of Rock cruise. He was 67.

Throughout these challenges, Scholz has continued to focus on his music and personal interests, embodying resilience amid loss and legal battles while maintaining Boston’s enduring legacy.