One of the true legends of rock is stepping away.
Mick Mars has announced that he will no longer be playing with Mötley Crüe.
Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.).
Always Suffered
Mars is, by far, the oldest member of the band.
When the ban first formed, Mars was already suffering from AS.
After 40 years, it has gotten to the point that he can barely move to play, and it is crippling pain when he does.
I don’t think most fans even realize how much pain this man has been in his entire life on stage.
A rep for Mars announced his retirement, stating, “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.”
John 5, of Marilyn Manson fame, will take over as the lead guitarist during the next tour.
After he was announced as the new guitarist, he stated, “I’m honored to carry on Mick’s legacy and am looking forward to playing these songs.”
Mötley Crüe is scheduled to start a new tour across Europe and Latin America next year.
Mars broached the subject of AS back in 2001 in the band biography, “The Dirt.”
He stated, “My hips started hurting so bad every time I turned my body that it felt like someone was igniting fireworks in my bones.
“I didn’t have enough money to see a doctor, so I just kept hoping that I could do what I usually do: will it away, through the power of my mind. But it kept getting worse.
“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.”
Enjoy your retirement, Mick, but we will miss seeing you on stage.
Source: New York Post
