It’s always a bummer when a world-famous rock star decides to retire. Though, it’s worth noting that very few rock bands like to retire early. That being said, these five rock stars suddenly decided to retire with almost no warning; and some of them went on to do very different things. Let’s dive in!
1. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)
It shocked fans around the world when Aerosmith announced that they would be indefinitely retiring from touring. It was particularly shocking, considering that they had a final farewell tour lined up to start in 2024.
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Unfortunately, Aerosmith (and Steven Tyler) didn’t have much choice in the matter. If you can’t sing, then you simply can’t perform. Mere months before the Peace Out Tour was set to start, all of Aerosmith’s social media pages announced that they would be canceling the tour and ceasing performances indefinitely. The cause of the sudden retirement stemmed from a vocal injury that Steven Tyler suffered in 2023. Despite having the best medical treatment and giving it his all, it became clear that his voice would never fully recover.
2. Neil Peart (Rush)
Neil Peart was considered one of the best drummers in rock music history. One could say that the late great Peart had given Rush the edge that the band needed to become as big as they were. Not to mention, Peart was also the main songwriter of the band. It was quite surprising when Peart announced his final show with Rush in 2015. He retired shortly after.
In the 2016 documentary Time Stand Still, Peart said that he had to retire because he was in a significant amount of physical pain. Peart passed away from complications of brain cancer in 2020.
3. Dan Spitz (Anthrax)
Dan Spitz became quite famous during his time with Anthrax between 1983 and 1995. While serving as the guitarist of the famed thrash metal outfit, the band sold around 30 million albums and even nabbed a few Grammy nominations.
Unfortunately, Spitz decided to leave the band (and music) in 1995 to pursue a career in Swiss luxury watchmaking. He even attended a watchmaking school with a full scholarship and graduated with a Swiss degree in micro-mechanical engineering. It’s definitely sad that he left the world of music behind. But sometimes, it takes a while to discover what your real passions are.
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4. Bill Berry (R.E.M.)
1995 was a rough year for fans of R.E.M. The band’s famed drummer, Bill Berry, tragically suffered a brain aneurysm and collapsed in the middle of a performance.
The experience changed his life. Berry decided to leave the band, who continued on in his absence. Berry eventually decided to leave the music industry for many years and retired just two years after the near-fatal aneurysm. He decided to become a hay farmer and laid pretty low for a while.
However, Berry did return to the music industry in 2022 and formed the band The Bad Ends. He also periodically would perform at reunion shows with R.E.M.
5. Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd)
When it comes to rock stars who retired out of the blue, this example is one of the saddest. Pink Floyd’s Syd Barrett is widely considered to be the original creative force behind the famous psychedelic band.
Unfortunately, Barrett struggled with the sudden fame Pink Floyd experienced. Coupled with mental health problems and addiction, Barrett suddenly left the band in 1968. He lived in seclusion until he passed away from cancer at the age of 60.
Photo by Lisa Lake
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