Chris Slade, who had two stints as AC/DC’s drummer, has announced that he is retiring from drumming, noting that he’s about to turn 80 years old and that a small stroke he suffered seven years ago has taken a toll on him physically.
Slade first joined AC/DC in 1989, and remained with them until 1994, appearing on the album The Razors Edge and playing drums on such classic songs as “Thunderstruck” and “Money Talks.” He then rejoined the band for their live shows from 2015 to 2016 while Phil Rudd was going through a number of legal troubles.
In addition to AC/DC, Slade has played with Tom Jones, Manfred Mann, and The Firm. In a video message posted to his Facebook page, the drummer stated the following:
“Hello, everybody. It’s with a heavy heart that I’m announcing my retirement from drumming. I’m near enough 80 years old. I’ve been drumming, professionally, since I was 16 with Tom Jones… Thank you all for coming to the shows. And I’d like to thank [the other members of my solo] band also, The Chris Slade Timeline, and all you lot for coming to the shows and having a good time. We know you have, ’cause you told us you have, which was, to get that feedback, is great. So please stay on The Chris Slade Timeline on Facebook, ’cause I’ll be posting, we’ll be posting stuff from now and again to try to keep you interested.
“So, what happened was that I had a stroke, as you probably know, about seven years ago — a small stroke, but it’s got worse. And I’m afraid that has screwed me up. I’m really jealous of people like the [Rolling] Stones or Paul McCartney who are going well into their 80s, and I wanted to do that. But it looks like I can’t. So, as I say, with a heavy heart, it’s bye for now.”
Chris Slade will turn 80 years old on October 30th. Watch his video message below, followed by the music video for “Thunderstuck.”
Meanwhile, AC/DC are in the midst of a summer North American tour, with Matt Laug behind the drum kit. Tickets for their upcoming shows are available here.
