Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars announced Wednesday he will no longer tour with the band he co-founded more than four decades ago.
The 71-year-old musician, whose real name is Robert Deal, cited his ongoing battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a degenerative disease that causes bones in the spine to fuse.
“Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigours of the road,” the band said in a statement.
Mars’ replacement is John 5, the 52-year-old who has played with Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie and David Lee Roth.
In a statement on Thursday, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx said: "While change is never easy, we accept Mick's decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with his health. 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 honor his musical legacy."
Mars opened up about his experience with AS in the band’s 2001 biography The Dirt. “My hips started hurting so bad every time I turned my body that it felt like someone was igniting fireworks in my bones,” Mars said.
“Then, one afternoon while doing my laundry, I started having trouble breathing. At first, it felt like someone had plunged a knife into my back. But as the weeks passed, the pain kept moving around my back. Next, my stomach started burning, and I worried that my whole body was about to fall apart. I thought that there was a hole in my stomach, and acids were leaking out and destroying my bones and organs. I’d grab hold of doorknobs, anchor my legs into the ground, and pull with my hands to stretch my back and ease the pressure out.”
Mötley Crüe recently wrapped up the North American leg of a tour with Def Leppard, which included stops in Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton. The band is set to embark on a tour of Latin America and Europe that will keep them on the road from February to July.
Mötley Crüe announced the tour four years after the end of 2015’s The Final Tour.