The end of quite a long and interesting era is at hand, with the announcement that Mötley Crüe's founding guitarist, Mick Mars, will be stepping down from touring duties.
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The Mötley Crüe guitarist has long suffered from a debilitating form of arthritis called Ankylosing spondylitis which causes inflammation and stiffness in the joints and ligaments of his spine. In a statement shared by Mick, it appears that "due to his ongoing painful struggle" with A.S., he "will continue as a member" of the group which he helped found back in 1981, "but can no longer handle the rigors of the road."
The full statement to Variety reads:
"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 rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine."
The Crüe recently wrapped their lengthy Stadium Tour with Def Leppard, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Poison in Las Vegas on September 9, which means for fans near and far that could have been Mars' very last show with the group, who just announced another worldwide outing with Def Lep for 2023.
It's worth noting that throughout the Crüe's almost four-decade tenure, which included the brief departure of core members Vince Neil, and Tommy Lee, bassist Nikki Sixx and guitarist Mars have always seemed to remain the group's bedrock, despite dipping their own toes in extracrü-rricular activities at times. Nikki notably had his own solo projects, including the fan-fave Sixx: AM, but Mars' private efforts may be less well-known, like his 2021 track with Pop Evil, "Boss's Daughter," and Black Smoke Trigger's 2019 single, "The Way I'm Wired."
Hopefully, with the news that Mick will be stepping aside from his touring duties but still remain an official member, he'll get the rest and recuperation he needs and will find some time to make his way onto plenty more tracks, Mötley or otherwise, in the near future.
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