In October 2022, it was announced that Mötley Crüe guitarist and co-founder, Mick Mars, would no longer tour with the band "due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.)", but would continue as a member.
Mötley Crüe they issued a statement in regards to the announcement, saying, "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. We will carry out Mick's wish and continue to tour the world as planned in 2023. No doubt will it take an absolutely outstanding musician to fill Mick's shoes so we are grateful that our good friend, John 5 has agreed to come on board and join us moving forward. We'll see all you Crüeheads out on the road!"
TMZ is now reporting that Mick Mars is suing Mötley Crüe, claiming they kicked him out and ripped him off, financially.
Says TMZ: "The band's lead guitarist announced last fall he wouldn't be joining the Crüe on the road, because he's suffering from a debilitating arthritic disease called ankylosing spondylitis - but in his lawsuit, he says he made it clear he could still record with the band or do limited performances... he just couldn't handle a full tour with his condition.
According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Mick says the band cut his percentage of profits from 25 percent to 5 percent... after he announced he was stepping back from touring. Furthermore, he claims the band's lawyers made him feel like he should be grateful for even that small cut, because they didn't feel they owed him anything at all.
Mick claims there was a full band meeting and they decided to "unilaterally" remove him from Mötley Crüe.
Some of this is definitely personal for Mick. In the suit, he repeatedly accused bassist Nikki Sixx of "gaslighting" him about his guitar skills diminishing. Mick says that's rich coming from Nikki, because he claims Nikki didn't "play a single note on bass" during a recent tour. Mick claims all of Nikki's parts were pre-recorded.
Mick is suing Mötley Crüe to hand over all the financial books, so he can see if he's getting screwed out of what he feels he deserves."
Stay tuned for further updates as this story unfolds.
