Motley Crue fans are responding now that longtime guitarist Mick Mars has announced his retirement from touring with the veteran rock band. (Mars will still be considered a Motley Crue member.)

The guitarist made the announcement on Wednesday (Oct. 26) in an official statement. His longtime battle with ankylosing spondylitis, a type of advanced arthritis, spurred the decision.

"Mick Mars is the most authentic thing about Motley Crue," one fan said on Twitter. "I will miss him a ton."

See many more fan reactions below.

Wednesday's statement revealed that Mars no longer plans to tour with Motley Crue. But it did not reveal who the band intends to replace him. There have been rumors circulating in recent weeks that Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 would be joining Motley Crue. However, as of now, no official word on who might take over the live guitarist spot has emerged.

Mars is a co-founding member of Motley Crue along with the band's current lineup of Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee. The group formed in Los Angeles in 1981. They initially played what was meant to be their final tour in 2015, but after the success of the film version of their memoir, they decided to come out of retirement again. After various pandemic delays, their highly anticipated "Stadium Tour" with Def Leppard and special guests Poison, Joan Jett and Classless Act covered the U.S. this summer.

Earlier this month, the band announced another leg of their co-headlining tour with Def Leppard that would take them to Latin America and Europe in the first half of 2023.

Motley Crue Fans React to Mick Mars' Retirement

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