Mick Mars, who has been battling an ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis since his teens, has announced that he has retired from touring with Mötley Crüe. John 5 will take his place on the upcoming co-headline tour with Def Leppard.
The Mick Mars news was announced on Wednesday via a statement from his representative to Variety Magazine. “Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the Heavy Metal band Mötley Crüe for the past 41 years, has announced today that due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.), he will no longer be able to tour with the band. Mick will continue as a member of the band but can no longer handle the rigours of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine.”
Mötley Crüe says they respect his decision. “While change is never easy, we accept Mick’s decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health,” the band said. “We have watched Mick manage his Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades, and he has always managed it with utmost courage and grace.
“To say ‘enough is enough’ is the ultimate act of courage. Mick’s sound helped define Mötley Crüe from the minute he plugged in his guitar at our very first rehearsal together. The rest, as they say, is history. We’ll continue to honour his musical legacy.
“We will carry out Mick’s wish and continue to tour the world as planned in 2023. No doubt it will take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick’s shoes, so we are grateful that our good friend, John 5, has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward. We’ll see all you Crüeheads out on the road!”
“I’m honoured to carry on Mick’s legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs,” John 5 said.
