‘DIFFICULT, BUT NECESSARY’

Fall Out Boy Guitarist Joe Trohman Steps Away Amid Mental Health Concerns

The founding member said he’d been struggling for years and described the decision as difficult but necessary.

Hours after Fall Out Boy announced its latest album, So Much (for) Stardust, founding member Joe Trohman said he would be taking a leave of absence from the emo band. The lead guitarist said he plans to step away “for a spell,” citing his “rapidly” deteriorating mental health. “Neil Young once howled that it’s better to burn out than to fade away,” Trohman said via a letter posted to the band’s Twitter account. “But I can tell you unequivocally that burning out is dreadful. Without divulging all the details, I must disclose that my mental health has rapidly deteriorated over the past several years.” Trohman added that he will “absolutely, one-hundred percent” be returning to the band for future projects, but that he must now put himself and his mental health first to fully recover. “Thank you to everyone, including my bandmates and family, for understanding and respecting this difficult, but necessary, decision,” he added. The band’s newest project is scheduled to be released March 24.