Whitesnake’s Reb Beach has finally made a statement about temporarily replacing The Dead Daisies’ Dough Aldrich on the final leg of their European tour.
“Hey everyone! As you may have heard, my longtime friend and bandmate from Whitesnake, Doug Aldrich, has recently been diagnosed with a treatable form of cancer,” Beach shared on Facebook. “Doug is a fighter, and I know he’s going to make a full recovery, but he’s taking some much-needed time off to focus on his health.”
“In the meantime, he’s asked me to step in for him with The Dead Daisies on the final leg of their European tour, and I’m truly honored to do so. I can’t wait to hit the stage with that killer band, some of which are good friends of mine!! Most importantly, I want to wish Doug all the strength and a speedy recovery. We’re all behind you, brother, and we know you’ll be back in no time,” Beach finished his statement.
Doug Aldrich first shared the news that he would be skipping the Dead Daisies tour due to cancer just a few days ago.
“Hi, to all Daisies fans. We have some crappy news we’d like to share… Unfortunately, Doug has been diagnosed with a treatable throat cancer and has to undergo surgery this week,” the band wrote on Instagram.
“Moving forward, Doug will not be available for the next run, and subsequently long-time good friend & band mate from the Whitesnake days, Reb Beach, will be filling in for the upcoming European dates. Please join us in wishing Doug all the best for a speedy recovery. We look forward to having him back on deck really soon. We’ll keep you posted,” the band added.
Aldrich joined the Dead Daisies in early 2016, replaced Richard Fortus, and has been with the band ever since. He is the longest-serving member after founder David Lowy. Fortus left to focus on his work with Guns N’ Roses.
The Dead Daisies’ European tour starts at the Metropool in Enschede, The Netherlands, on November 1. Beasto Blanco and Mike Tramp will support the tour.