Def Leppard and Motley Crue have been around for almost the same amount of time, and over that amount of time both have had the occasion to hear rumors and stories about the other. It just so happens that Leppard drummer – Rick Allen, knows a little more to the story concerning why Mick Mars decided to no longer tour with the band he helped solidify during the 1980’s. Now remember, Mick Mars suffers from a terribly painful medical condition.
As per Blabbermouth, During an appearance on the latest episode of the “Appetite For Distortion” podcast, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was asked to weigh in on Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars’s recent decision to no longer tour with the legendary rock act because of his long struggles with degenerative disease ankylosing spondylitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine joints and ligaments and can lead to stiffness over time, according to the National Institute Of Arthritis And Musculoskeletal And Skin Diseases.
Allen, who most recently toured with Mars as part of Def Leppard and Motley Crue’s 2022 “The Stadium Tour”, said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth.net): “It was Mick’s decision to really move on and just get to the next part of his life. And we all know that Mick has suffered terribly, terribly with pain; you see it on his face all the time. And I think the only time I ever saw him truly in his element [was] when he was up on stage playing with the band. It was more his decision. That must have been a super hard decision. I mean, it would have been different if the guy was being thrown out of the band, but it wasn’t like that at all. It was a personal choice that he made. And you can’t say that that’s wrong. It was right for him at the time.
“Over the months — well, actually years — that I’ve known him, I really started to talk to him,” Rick continued. “So unassuming. Such a soft, gentle soul. And when I first met him years ago, I was actually quite afraid, you know. [Laughs] But he’s the exact opposite of that — just a really sweet, generous person. So it must have been a very difficult decision for everybody to have to go through that.”
The 71-year-old Mars — whose real name is Robert Alan Deal — served as Motley Crue’s lead guitarist since the band’s inception in 1981.
