Michael Stephen Portnoy (born April 20, 1967) is an American musician best known as the drummer, backing vocalist and co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He was born in Long Beach, New York, and is Jewish. His father, Howard Portnoy (1940–2009), worked as a radio DJ, which exposed him early to a wide range of music. His mother, Andrea Leone, died in 1984 in a private plane crash off the Atlantic City coastline. Portnoy received Read more on Last.fm