Report: Guitarist Bumblefoot Has Indeed Quit Guns N’ Roses
With the news that Guns N' Roses guitarist DJ Ashba leaving the band hitting the internet earlier this week, there have been rumors that fellow guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal was no longer in the band, as well. In a new report, "a confirmed source with the band" has confirmed Bumblefoot isn't only out of GN'R, but he actually quit in 2014.
DJ Ashba penned a heartfelt statement revealing his GN'R departure writing, "So now it is with a very heavy heart and yet great pride that I announce that I’ve decided to close this chapter of my life and encapsulate the wonderful times that I’ve shared with Guns N’ Roses into fond memories. I have reached a point in my life where I feel its time to dedicate myself to my band Sixx:A.M., my adoring wife and family, and to the many new adventures that the future holds for me. I have always been driven by my passion for creating music and Sixx:A.M. has always been a place where I can express myself honestly and share that passion with my two brothers and bandmates, Nikki Sixx and James Michael. As you know I have also been blessed with the love and support of my incredible wife, Naty, who has been at my side for much of this amazing journey."
When Bumblefoot was asked in a recent interview if he had also left Guns N' Roses, he responded somewhat cryptically, “That is the thing I am not to elaborate on. I think there’s enough clues out there for you to figure out what I’m up to now.”
Now, veteran rock journalist Gary Graff is reporting via WRIF that Bumblefoot is 100 percent out of the legendary rock band. "Bumblefoot quit last year," a "confirmed source within the band" tells Graff. "I don't understand why he continues to be evasive on his status with the band -- he quit in South America. He told Axl he was done and [Las] Vegas would be his last run with the band."
This would leave Richard Fortus as the sole guitarist left in Guns N' Roses. The band certainly isn't ending, however, as drummer Frank Ferrer recently told Stone Chrome Radio that the group is "forging ahead" and that a plan is in place to continue on.
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