the group pared down to a six-piece collective entity. Shaun would subsequently form the Shaun Murphy Band, with a specific blues-oriented niche. As of May 2011, Shaun had released two albums and returned to take her place with the Silver Bullet Band in the 2011 tour of Bob Seger, in addition to many scheduled live appearances with the Shaun Murphy Band, one of which was to release a third album and DVD, Live in Detroit. Hayward illness and death In August 2009, Richie Hayward announced that he had recently been diagnosed with a severe liver disease and would be unable to work indefinitely. A benefit concert was organized and a website created where fans unable to attend could donate toward his treatment costs. Little Feat announced that their drum technician Gabe Ford would take his place. Hayward married and was living on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, with his liver cancer in remission as he awaited a transplant. On Sunday, July 11, 2010, Little Feat played at the Vancouver Island Music Festival and Hayward was slated to play just a couple of tunes, but once he sat behind his kit, he finished out the night. Hayward had intended to return to the band in the event of recovery, but he died on August 12, 2010, from pneumonia and complications from lung disease. 2012 and beyond In June 2012, Little Feat released their first album of new material in nine years, Rooster Rag. In 2014, the band Leftover Salmon announced that Bill Payne had joined with them as a permanent member. He left them in 2015 to take up a permanent post in The Doobie Brothers' touring band: this restricted his ability to perform longer tours with Little Feat. After this, the full band would perform around 10 dates per year, while Barrere, Tackett, Gradney and Ford would sometimes tour playing Little Feat material as a four-piece called Funky Feat. In 1994, Paul Barrere had been diagnosed with Hepatitis C and, in 2013, took a leave of absence from touring with Little Feat to combat the disease, and to remain close to his health providers. He later performed a few one-off gigs with Fred Tackett as an acoustic duo and recorded collaborations with longtime friend Roger Cole. In August 2015, it was announced that he was suffering from liver cancer. In 2017 the band was joined for some shows by the Midnight