Mötley Crüe Member Retires Citing Health Concerns

Mötley Crüe will be searching for a new guitarist if the band wants to continue touring, despite claiming they're wrapping up. Founding member Mick Mars is retiring as a touring member of the group, citing his ongoing health struggle due to Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.). Mars, 71, will still be an official member of the "Shout at the Devil" group though.

"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," the group shared in a statement to Variety late Wednesday. "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."

Mötley Crüe has not announced a replacement for Mars yet. There have been rumors that John 5, who previously performed with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie, may join them. John 5, whose real name is John Lowery, missed Zombie's concert at the Aftershock Festival in California, which led to speculation that he was joining Mötley Crüe, reports Guitar World. The musician also recently posted a photo with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee to mark Lee's birthday.

The news that Mars is retiring from touring comes after the band just announced another leg of their tour with Def Leppard. The new dates will take the band to Latin America and Europe between February and July. Their latest North American leg wrapped up on Sept. 9 in Las Vegas.

Mars, whose real name is Robert Deal, first revealed he was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in the group's 2001 biography The Dirty, notes Ultimate Classic Rock. He was diagnosed with the disease in his late teens and his condition worsened in the early 2000s. At one point, he was addicted to painkillers. After hip surgery in 2004, he got back on the road with the band.

"It still hurts. It still grinds now and then, but like I said, music is my whole passion," he told the Times Leader in 2011. "It's what I do. It's what I live for. I guess it keeps me alive. I'm just happy to be here, to be able to make people happy, to make people smile and give them what I feel inside from my music. I hope you like this, and if you don't, oh well."

Mötley Crüe was established in 1981, with bassist Nikki Sixx, Lee, singer Vince Neil, and Mars. Their biggest hits include "Looks That Kill," "Dr. Feelgood," "Grils, Girls, Girls," "Smokin' in the Boys Room," "Wild Side," and "Shout at the Devil." The group toured for the first "final" time in 2015, but then reunited in 2019 to announce the stadium tour with Def Leppard. The tour was postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic before finally starting in June.

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