Steven Tyler has relapsed and “voluntarily” checked into rehab, his Aerosmith bandmates revealed.
“As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years,” the band wrote of the singer, 74, in a joint statement on Tuesday.
“After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery,” the announcement went on to read.
The statement concluded by sharing Aerosmith’s plans to cancel the first set of their Las Vegas residency dates in June and July.
The decision will allow Tyler to focus on his “well-being” instead, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford wrote.
“We will continue our 2022 dates starting in September, and we’ll let you know any further updates as soon as we can,” they explained. “We are devastated that we have inconvenienced so many of you, especially our most loyal fans who often travel great distances to experience our shows.”
After thanking their fans for “understanding,” the band members provided refund information.
Fans sent Tyler their support in the comments. “Get well,” one Instagram user wrote, while another advised the songwriter to “stay strong.”
Perry, 71, Hamilton, 70, Kramer, 71, and Whitford, 70, initially helped Tyler pursue sobriety with a 1988 intervention, he told Haute Living in December 2019.
“It took me many years to get over the anger of them sending me to rehab while they went on vacation,” he recalled. “But today, because of that moment … I am grateful and owe a thanks to them for my sobriety.”
Tyler went on to tell the magazine that while doing drugs gave his performances a “certain rawness,” the addiction inhibited his “greatness.”
“All the magic that you thought worked when you were high comes out when you get sober,” he said, noting that he was on his “fourth run” at the time and celebrating nine years sober. “You realize it was always there, and your fear goes away.”
Relapsing put the Grammy winner “at risk” of losing his loved ones, he added.
Tyler is the father of four adult children — Liv, 44, Mia, 43, Chelsea, 33, and Taj, 31 — and has been dating his former personal assistant Aimee Preston since 2016.
