Following reports that Guns N' Roses is working on a new album, guitarist DJ Ashba announced that the band is going on a hiatus, indefinitely.
The disappointing announcement happened during the 42-year-old musician's interview with Las Vegas Sun, where he said that they needed rest after their non-stop tour.
"Ever since I joined G N'R six years ago, it's almost been non-stop touring. But we've kind of talked of more touring, and I'm looking at this more as a hiatus than the end," he told the Las Vegas Sun.
And while fans are worried about the news, Ashba clarified that they are just merely taking a break and the band members are still very much intact.
"I've got his back whenever he needs me," he said of the band's frontman Axl Rose.
In addition to DJ Ashba's statement, Rose previously announced that Guns N' Roses will not be touring anytime soon.
"I don't think there's gonna be any touring soon, he admitted via an excerpt from Blabber Mouth. "We have been working on material. And that sort of starts and stops, but we're still plugging away at it."
Richard Fortus was quick to defend his bandmate after the decision to put the band's tour on hold was slammed by fans.
"I've worked with a lot of people in this business, and I've never seen, or met, anybody that was motivatd purely by that - by the desire to make art," he explained on the podcast.
"And you can say whatever you want about it, 'cause he's not gonna defend himself, but he is that, and that's for sure. Otherwise, there would have been a reunion, because the offers for money have been outrageous. But he would never do a reunion unless it was for something besides money."
Guns N' Roses guitarist Richard Fortus' interview could be heard below:
Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler who believes that a tour is great also expressed his support for the band's frontman.
"That's nice to say he wouldn't do it for the money," Adler said of the band's frontman.
"But if he needs a reason to do it, I have a billion reasons, and that's a billion people around the world who love us and have supported us and want more than anything to see us. ... It's Axl's call on doing a reunion. It's all up to him. And I love him and I have his back, and I support him in everything he does except for if he doesn't wanna play for the fans, I can't support that. 'Cause it's all for the fans."
