Musicians who got fired from famous bands

The rock band The Neighbourhood announced on November 13, 2022 that they fired their drummer Brandon Fried following assault allegations from María Zardoya, the lead singer of The Marias. The allegation came earlier that day when Zardoya wrote on her Instagram story, "I was at a bar last night, and i was groped under the table by brandon fried, the drummer of the neighbourhood. it was one of the most uncomfortable things i've ever experienced. i felt an invasion of my space, privacy and body," Zardoya wrote. "@thenbhd ya'll need a new drummer, this guy is a complete creep."

Soon after, The Neighbourhood shared on its Instagram story that Fried had been fired. "We are grateful to Maria for coming forward. We have zero tolerance for any kind of inappropriate behavior towards women," they wrote. "As a result of Brandon's actions, he will no longer be a member of The Neighbourhood."

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Brandon Fried - The Neighbourhood -

Later, Fried shared an apology which blamed his behavior on substance abuse. "I am so terribly sorry to Maria. My actions were inexcusable and intolerable," Fried wrote. "They are not reflective of who I am as a person, but clearly a reflection of who I become while under the influence. It is evident that I must address my problems with alcohol and substance abuse, which I am now seeking help for," he continued. "I want to apologize to women who have been victims of any behavior that has left them feeling uncomfortable or violated. I am so sorry to The Neighbourhood and our fans for letting them down."

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Ozzy Osbourne - Black Sabbath - Dismissal: 1979. The band's members decided they had enough of Ozzy's wild lifestyle, as he was constantly abusing substances and his behavior was erratic.

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Ozzy Osbourne - Black Sabbath - Fortunately for their fans, the original band got back together a few times after that. In 1997, they recorded the live album 'Reunion' and in 2013 they released the album '13.' Their 'The End Tour' came in 2016-17.

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Dave Mustaine - Metallica - Dismissal: 1983. Not many people remember this, but the Megadeth lead singer was in Metallica. The news that he lost his job took fans by surprise.

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Dave Mustaine - Metallica - Dave Mustaine, who claims he was never given a second chance, was kicked out of the band because of his drinking problem. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett. Luckily for Dave, his band Megadeth ended up becoming one of the biggest in the heavy metal scene.

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Nick Oliveri - Queens of the Stone Age - Dismissal: 2004. The bassist, who was one of the band's founders and frontman Josh Homme's best friend, was let go after he was involved in a domestic abuse claim and went through drug problems during his last tour.

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Nick Oliveri - Queens of the Stone Age - Homme, who later fired Joey Castillo (the band's drummer from 2002 to 2013) said it was a hard decision but when someone leaves a band it's usually due to general consensus.

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Slash - Guns N' Roses - Slash leaving the band in 1996 is still a source of contention. He and Axl Rose had so many fights it was almost impossible to know if he was fired or left of his own accord.

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Slash - Guns N' Roses - Apparently, Slash left because he wanted to, as he was unhappy with Axl's authoritarian attitude in the band and his reduced participation in the band's composing process.

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Twiggy Ramirez - Marilyn Manson - Dismissal: 2017. Marilyn Manson stopped working with Twiggy Ramirez, his bassist since 1993 because Ramirez was accused of assault by his ex-partner, Jessicka Addams.

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Steven Adler - Guns N' Roses - Dismissal: 1990. The drummer, who had serious drug issues, was kicked out of the band after a show in which he only played two songs because he was too wasted.

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Matt Sorum - Guns N' Roses - Dismissal: 1997. Sorum was Steven Adler's replacement. According to him, leaving the band wasn't an amicable process. After he stood up for Slash, he had a huge fight with Axl Rose who believed himself to be the band's sole decision-maker.

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Syd Barrett - Pink Floyd - Dismissal: 1968. The singer and founder of the band was let go because of his unstable behavior, substance abuse, and speculation regarding the deterioration of his mental abilities.

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Syd Barrett - Pink Floyd - Strangely enough, the group announced Barrett's exit the same day their contract with Blackhill Enterprises ended. The music label apparently kept Barrett as he was seen as the musical brain behind Pink Floyd.

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Richard Wright - Pink Floyd - Dismissal: early 80s. In this case the exact details remain unclear, but apparently the renowned keyboard player was fired by Roger Waters because of creative differences. When the other band members protested, Wright was brought back.

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Brian Jones - Rolling Stones -

Dismissal: 1969. Brian Jones (second from the right) was considered a great musician and was one of the co-founders of the Rolling Stones. Unfortunately, he also had a serious drug problem which resulted in him being asked to leave the band in 1969.

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Brian Jones - Rolling Stones -

Less than a month later, Brian was found drowned in his own swimming pool at the age of 27. The death was considered accidental.

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Pete Best - Beatles - Dismissal: 1962. No one recalls this one, but Pete Best was The Beatles' first drummer! However, after two years of working with the Fab Four, businessman Brian Epstein fired him.

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Pete Best - The Beatles - The reasons behind the sacking are still a bit muddy, but apparently executives at the label Decca didn't like his performance. One person that cannot complain is Ringo Starr!

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Steve Perry - Journey - Dismissal: 1997. The band's lead singer, who helped them reach stardom with singles 'Raised On Radio' and 'Don't Stop Believin,' hurt his hip and refused to have surgery for over a year.

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Steve Perry - Journey - Eventually the remaining band members decided to get a replacement vocalist - Steve Augeri. Perry was Journey's frontman from 1977 until 1987 and then from 1995 until 1997.

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Michael Anthony - Van Halen - Dismissal: 2002. The bassist was fired by guitarist Eddie Van Halen, allegedly because he remained friends with Sammy Hagar after Hagar left the band in 1996. He was replaced by Van Halen's 16-year-old son, Wolfgang.

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Michael Anthony - Van Halen - In interviews, Van Halen claimed that Anthony had asked to leave the band, which the latter denied.

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Scott Weiland - Stone Temple Pilots - Dismissal: 2012. The band's front man, who had been acting erratically because of his problems with addiction, learned through the press that he was fired.

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Scott Weiland - Stone Temple Pilots - He was shocked to find that he was being fired from a group that he founded, led, and co-wrote some of the biggest hits for. He never returned to the Stone Temple Pilots. Sadly, he died of an overdose in 2015.

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Dave Navarro - Red Hot Chilli Peppers - Dismissal: 1998. He had been in the group since 1992, but was sacked by lead singer Anthony Kiedis after a period in which Dave almost died because of his substance abuse.

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Dave Navarro - Red Hot Chilli Peppers - The Jane's Addiction guitarist and host of 'Ink Master' believes fans didn't like him because the band had a different sound at the time, which was less popular. He only recorded a single album called 'One Hot Minute' (1994) with them.

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Jon Anderson - Yes - Dismissal: 2007. Yes was preparing a 40th anniversary celebration tour but the lead singer got extremely ill due to breathing problems.

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Jon Anderson - Yes -

Not only did the band refuse to cancel the tour, they actually replaced Anderson with Benoit David, a Canadian artist who sang in a Yes cover band!

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Brandon Fried - The Neighbourhood -

Dismissal: 2022

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Brandon Fried - The Neighbourhood -

Getty Images

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Ozzy Osbourne - Black Sabbath - Dismissal: 1979. The band's members decided they had enough of Ozzy's wild lifestyle, as he was constantly abusing substances and his behavior was erratic.

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Dave Mustaine - Metallica - Dismissal: 1983. Not many people remember this, but the Megadeth lead singer was in Metallica. The news that he lost his job took fans by surprise.

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Slash - Guns N' Roses - Slash leaving the band in 1996 is still a source of contention. He and Axl Rose had so many fights it was almost impossible to know if he was fired or left of his own accord.

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Slash - Guns N' Roses - Apparently, Slash left because he wanted to, as he was unhappy with Axl's authoritarian attitude in the band and his reduced participation in the band's composing process.

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Steven Adler - Guns N' Roses - Dismissal: 1990. The drummer, who had serious drug issues, was kicked out of the band after a show in which he only played two songs because he was too wasted.

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Brian Jones - Rolling Stones -

Getty Images

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Brian Jones - Rolling Stones -

Less than a month later, Brian was found drowned in his own swimming pool at the age of 27. The death was considered accidental.

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Steve Perry - Journey - Eventually the remaining band members decided to get a replacement vocalist - Steve Augeri. Perry was Journey's frontman from 1977 until 1987 and then from 1995 until 1997.

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Michael Anthony - Van Halen - In interviews, Van Halen claimed that Anthony had asked to leave the band, which the latter denied.

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Scott Weiland - Stone Temple Pilots - Dismissal: 2012. The band's front man, who had been acting erratically because of his problems with addiction, learned through the press that he was fired.

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Jon Anderson - Yes - Dismissal: 2007. Yes was preparing a 40th anniversary celebration tour but the lead singer got extremely ill due to breathing problems.

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Jon Anderson - Yes -

Not only did the band refuse to cancel the tour, they actually replaced Anderson with Benoit David, a Canadian artist who sang in a Yes cover band!

Sources (Goliath) (The Week) (Ranker)

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Musicians who got fired from famous bands

The rockstar lifestyle can get annoying for bandmates

15/11/24 | StarsInsider

MUSIC Music

Unemployment affects rock stars too! Several musicians have been fired from their famous bands, whether because of fractious relationships with their bandmates or substance abuse issues that made them too unreliable. Some of these artists even helped found their bands or contributed to them reaching stardom, but that wasn't enough to save them.

Click through the gallery to find out which famous musicians got kicked out of their own bands.