Metallica lead singer James Hetfield has re-entered rehab, forcing the band to postpone its upcoming concert tour in Australia and New Zealand.
“As most of you probably know, our brother James has been struggling with addiction on and off for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enter a treatment program to work on his recovery again,” the band announced in a string of tweets on Friday.
The 56-year-old singer-songwriter has previously discussed his struggles with addiction and alcoholism, particularly in the 2004 documentary “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.”
“Fear was a big motivator in that for me,” told podcaster Joe Rogan two years ago. “Losing my family, that was the thing that scared me so much, that was the bottom I hit, that my family is going to go away because of my behaviors that I brought home from the road. I got kicked out of my house by my wife, I was living on my own somewhere, I did not want that. Maybe as part of my upbringing, my family kind of disintegrated when I was a kid. Father left, mother passed away, had to live with my brother, and then kind of just, where did my stuff go? It just kind of floated away, and I do not want that happening. No matter what’s going on, we’re going to talk this stuff out, and make it work.”
The statement by the band — which also includes drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Rob Trujillo — said that tickets already purchased would be refunded.
According to the band’s website, Metallica’s March 28 benefit concert in San Francisco is still scheduled, as is a South American tour set to begin in April 2020.