Why is Mick Mars retiring? 71-yr-old Motley Crue guitarist hangs up his ax
Motley Crue’s guitarist Mick Mars, 71, announced his retirement due to medical reasons. The lead guitarist and the founding member of the heavy metal band, Mick Mars' representative reportedly informed Variety that Mick will no longer be able to go on tours because of his prolonged, excruciating battle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).
Ankylosing Spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that, over time, can cause some of the bones in the spine (vertebrae) to fuse. This fusing makes the spine less flexible and can result in a hunched posture. If ribs are affected, it can cause difficulty to breathe deeply. Robert Alan Deal, popularly known as Mick Mars, has had the illness since he was a teenager, however, it got worse as he aged, reported Variety.
READ MORE
Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx 'gang-raped' woman with Tommy Lee, boasted about it in 2001 memoir
"Mick Mars, co-founder and lead guitarist of the heavy metal band Motley Crue 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 representative told Variety. “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 representative added.
Although Mick admitted to having struggled with the pain for many years, he got hip surgery in the early 2000s so that he could continue traveling with the band. "I kept getting worse and worse, and I just stopped playing guitar for almost two years," Mick told when Metal Sludge interviewed him back in 2008. "Nowadays, it’s not so bad, but back then when I was high on all that stuff and Motley were having a break, I knew if I didn’t stop I was gonna die," he added.
An official statement was released by Motley Crue's Instagram handle confirming the retirement of guitarist Mick Mars, "While change is never easy, we accept Mick's decision to retire from the band due to the challenges with health"
"We have watched Mick manage his Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades and he has always managed it with utmost courage and grace," the band stated in the official statement. "To say 'enough is enough' is the ultimate act of courage," the statement read.
Despite Mick's assurance that he wouldn't leave the band, it's unclear how Mick will "remain as a member of the band" if he doesn't go on tours with the rest of the members. Motley Crue hasn't released a new album since 'Saints of Los Angeles' was released in 2008.
According to Motley Crue, Mars would be replaced, by John 5, a former member of Marilyn Manson. "I am honoured to carry on with Mick's legacy and I am looking forward to playing these songs" John 5 stated in the Instagram post.
Along with Def Leppard, Motley Crue members, Vince Neil, 61, Tommy Lee, 60, and Nikki Sixx, 63, will tour Latin America and Europe in 2023. The World Tour comes after their 'North American The Stadium Tour', which took three years to prepare and was postponed by two years due to Covid.
The World Tour begins on February 18 in Mexico City and the band will perform in Peru, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Ireland.