Mick Mars Health Status: Guitarist Recalls Doctor's Heartbreaking Conclusion on His AS Diagnosis

Mötley Crüe guitarist Mick Mars opened up about his long-standing battle with ankylosing spondylitis.

The musician started feeling the symptoms of the degenerative disease when he was 14, and the pain later spread throughout his body. Unfortunately, his condition affected his career and led him to retire from touring.

Mötley Crüe Member Mick Mars Shares Details About AS

Mars recently sat down for an interview with Jacqui Neal, during which he shared more details about his arthritis.

"With what I have, ankylosing spondylitis, the doctor [told] me [I would] be in a wheelchair at 25 or whatnot, and I went, 'No, I'm not.' I mean, how do doctors make their money? By keeping you sick, by telling you this or by doing that. And it's, like, not to be mean to doctors because they help too, but it's, like, they don't make any money without patients," he shared.

He declared that AS is something "you've gotta fight through."

In a separate discussion on Hear 2 Zen, Mars disclosed that the worst thing about AS was his inability to hold his head up while feeling stiff.

Mars sent a statement to Variety seven weeks after his last tour with Mötley Crüe, saying he would retire from touring because of his "extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease." He revealed in the band's 2001 biography "The Dirt" that he struggled since he was a teen because of the disease.

Mötley Crüe removed Mars from the band and replaced him with John 5 despite the guitarist's clarification that he only retired from touring.

After the ousting, Mars filed a lawsuit against his bandmates. Nikki Sixx told Planet Rock that Mars' touring announcement only meant two things: either quitting the band for good or spending time looking at each other if they were not done yet.

Is Mick Mars Doing Okay?

In November 2023, Mars sat down for an interview with Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, and shared what he wanted to do in the future amid his health issues.

""I'm fine. My AS is what it is. There's nothing I could do about that. The hard stuff, like flying here and doing this - that crap is a little difficult for me to do nowadays 'cause I'm almost a solid bone now. It got a little rough, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna do a lot of music. As long as my brain and my hands and legs work, I'm never stopping," he went on, per Blabbermouth.

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