For a couple months now, many of you have surely noticed David’s absence in various band-related issues. Him not attending VIP parties, interviews, skipping the South American tour and not travelling with the band to China this year. Today, Simple Plan alongside David have released a statement finally revealing that David’s absence from the spotlight has been due to his personal struggles with depression. This, unfortunately, is also the reason why David will not be present at the upcoming European tour, which starts this Sunday.
Read David’s statement below:
“Hello everyone. It is with regret that I must announce that I will not be able to join the guys on the upcoming European tour. I have battled depression on and off for a long while now but the time has come to explain why there are times when I cannot be with my bandmates playing shows for you. At the moment, I am fighting a major depression that prevents me from enjoying life and doing the things I love such as playing music. Many of our songs, and our work with the Simple Plan Foundation, speak of the hope that must be kept in difficult times. I truly believe in this message and I assure you that I will be back soon!”
The rest of the band have also revealed a statement regarding David’s absence on tour. Read it here:
“We are sorry to inform you that David won’t be able to join us for our upcoming European tour. You can read a statement from David that explains the situation on his Instagram.
As stated in his message, David has struggled with episodes of depression for a long time now and this situation has sometimes made it difficult for him to deal with the demands of being in a band, touring and playing shows night after night. Following his wishes, we’ve always kept this information private. Today, he feels it’s important to share this with all of you for the first time and we fully support his decision.
David is our friend first and foremost and the number one priority for all of us right now is his health and well-being. After talking to him this week, we’ve made the decision together that it was better for David to stay home and focus on his recovery. We know some of you will be disappointed to hear this news and we are extremely sorry.
Depression is a serious illness that can affect anyone and David’s struggles with this issue have hit close to home and inspired us to help charitable organizations focusing on mental health through the Simple Plan Foundation. We hope that discussing this openly can help some of you who might be dealing with similar issues.
It really breaks our hearts to see our friend and band mate go through these difficult times, but we know he will overcome this and be back on stage with us very soon. We can’t wait to welcome him back! In the meantime, with David’s blessings, all the upcoming European dates will go on as planned. We look forward to some amazing shows and to see all our European fans!”
Chuck, Jeff and Pierre also sent David well-wishes separately on their personal Instagrams, saying:
“I love you my friend. Stay strong. Can’t wait to have you back with us feeling better. ❤️”
“My brother forever. Get well soon, David. I know you’ll come back stronger and healthier than ever.”
“Get well soon brother! Supporting you all the way! David’s a courageous mofo: I’m proud of him for calling it like it is and for seeking the support he needs. It takes balls to bring your knee to the ground to eventually stand tall again. Dude, I still won’t high five you after you stick your hand in your pants but I’m looking forward to playing next to you again very soon ;-).”
“I’m behind you, buddy.”
On behalf of SimplePlan.cz, I would like to declare my full support of Simple Plan’s decision in order to focus on David’s health. David, and I believe I’m saying this on behalf of every fan, be strong. We believe in you. See you another time!
