Hours ago it was officially announced that Dee Snyder is leaving Twisted Sister and the band is canceling its planned 50th anniversary tour in 2026.
Dee Snyder is retiring due to serious health problems, the main one of which is degenerative arthritis, which prevents him from performing his characteristic more aggressive stage performances.
The band published a statement that due to the “sudden and unexpected departure“ of the vocalist, all scheduled concerts starting in April 2025 in Brazil and continuing through the summer in Europe, including Bulgaria, are canceled.
The tour was supposed to be the band's big comeback 10 years after their last “farewell“ tour.
Here is the band's statement:
Unfortunately, Twisted Sister are canceling their 50th anniversary performances. Due to the sudden and unexpected retirement of Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snyder, caused by a series of health issues, the band has been forced to cancel all scheduled shows starting April 25th in São Paulo, Brazil, and continuing through the summer.
The future of Twisted Sister will be determined in the next few weeks.
JJ French/Eddie Ojeda
The legendary stage life has taken its toll on Dee Snyder's body and soul. Unbeknownst to the public, Snyder, now 70, had suffered from degenerative arthritis and had undergone several surgeries over the years, only to be able to carry on, only able to perform a few songs at a time in pain.
In addition to the trauma, Dee recently realized that the level of intensity he had devoted
to his life's work had taken a toll on his heart. He could no longer push the boundaries of rock 'n' roll fury as he had for decades. Snyder says, "I don't know any other way to play rock. The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I would rather retreat than be a shadow of my former self."
In the immortal words of Dirty Harry: "A man's got to know his limits," Dee Snyder now understood his.