Motley Crue was very surprised by Mick Mars’ decision to retire from touring, according to Nikki Sixx.

The bassist said, “We never saw it coming that Mick wasn’t going to be able to tour and was going to have to quit the band.”

Sixx added, “In the middle — not even the middle — of a huge tour, we had to ask ourselves, ‘Do we want to let the fans down? Do we want to let [concert promoters] Live Nation down? Do we want to let [tourmates] Def Leppard down? Do we want to let ourselves down because an original member of our band can’t tour anymore?’ We had to have a deep, deep look into what we were going to do.”

Mötley Crüe has been in a nasty legal battle with former member Mick Mars since April after Mars filed a lawsuit against the band for trying to remove him from the group. Mars suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis, a chronic and inflammatory form of arthritis. After years of performing through the pain, Mars retired from touring with Mötley Crüe in October 2022 due to health issues.

Since then, Mars filed a lawsuit against the band accusing them of removing him as a stakeholder in the band’s business dealings by cutting his share of the touring royalties from 25% to just 5%.

In the lawsuit, Mars claimed he was the only member of Mötley Crüe to play live during his last tour with the band. Meanwhile, the band says backing tracks were needed for Mars, whose playing has apparently deteriorated.

Mars claimed Nikki Sixx, “Did not play a single note” on tour. However, Sixx responded on Twitter, writing, “Sad day for us and we don’t deserve this considering how many years we’ve been propping him up. We still wish him the best and hope he find’s [sic] lawyers and managers who aren’t damaging him. We love you Mick.”