Asking Alexandria Founder Ben Bruce Announces Exit From Band in New Statement

Ben Bruce, Asking Alexandria's founding guitarist and primary songwriter, has announced he is leaving the band in a statement that was shared in the band's Instagram stories.

In the statement, the 35-year-old guitarist expresses his gratitude for his career in music and the "years of love and support."

Bruce then turns his attention toward his reasons for leaving, citing his desire to spend more time with his family, having sacrificed being a part of "too many important moments in their lives" due to his commitments to being in a band.

"The time I have spent with all of you has been the time of my life," the guitarist tells fans, "But now it's time to dedicate my life to my family,"

Read the statement in full directly below.

To my amazing AAFamily. First and foremost I want to say thank you to everyone for the years of love and support. It means more to me than you can imagine. I've spent my entire life dedicated to music. It's been my first love since about the age of two and the journey I've been on has been absolutely incredible as I've grown older and my life has inevitably changed, I have come to realize how precious time is. The time I have spent with all of you has been the time of my life. But now it's time to dedicate my life to my family.

On top of family medical situations, leaving my children means missing out on too many important moments in their lives. It's so important for me to be there for them as they grow, and to be here for my family as they need me to be, which means, after a lot of thought, I will be stepping away from Asking Alexandria. Thank you to everyone who has come and seen me play live and listened to the songs I've written over the years. The memories will live on in my heart forever. I truly love you all so much for the years of support you've given me and Asking Alexandria. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Currently, Asking Alexandria have a slew of tour dates on the books, with shows in South America beginning in late February.

At the time of publication, the band has not commented on whether or not they have another guitarist lined up to take Bruce's place. That leaves rhythm guitarist Cameron Liddell as the band's sole guitarist and, presumably, Asking Alexandria will seek the services of a lead guitarist as either a fill-in/live member or a new full-time member.

Bruce formed Asking Alexandria in 2006 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The band self-released their debut album The Irony of Your Perfection in 2007. This lineup was dissolved and Bruce moved to the U.K., assembling a new lineup which recorded Stand Up and Scream, Asking Alexandria's first label-backed record that was released on Sumerian Records.

The aforementioned Liddell, as well as singer Danny Worsnop, drummer James Cassells and bassist Sam Bettley all appeared on Stand Up and Scream and are still in the band today.

Asking Alexandria's latest album, Where Do We Go From Here?, was released last year.