from the album and reserved for a later release. Mars co-wrote and appears in the music video of the song "Boss's Daughter" by Pop Evil on their 2011 album War of Angels. In November 2019, Mars released a new song, "The Way I'm Wired", with Black Smoke Trigger. Mars was also featured on the hit single "Outlaws & Outsiders" by Cory Marks. On October 26, 2022, Mars announced his retirement from touring with Mötley Crüe. The next day, Mötley Crüe confirmed that John 5 had taken his place. That same week, the band announced Mars' complete retirement from the band, supporting his decision, with John 5 taking his place starting with the 2023 World Tour. Health For most of his professional career, Mars has openly struggled with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic, inflammatory form of arthritis that mainly affects the spine and pelvis. It was initially diagnosed when he was 17 years old and has increasingly impaired his movement and has caused him pain. This led to hip-replacement surgery at the end of 2004. Over the years, the illness has caused his lower spine to seize up and freeze completely solid, "... causing scoliosis in [his] back and squashing [him] further down and forward until [he] was a full shorter than [he] was in high school." Mars reported in 2013 that his neck is so stiff he could not even turn his head, preventing him from driving a car. The band reunited in 2018 and started touring again in 2022. Equipment Mars in his early career used guitars that were popular at the time: Kramer, and other Superstrats; on occasion he used a black Gibson Les Paul, and sometimes a B.C. Rich. However, according to an interview published in September 2009, Mars' main stage guitars for that tour were Fender Stratocasters with an "HSH" (humbucker, single coil, humbucker) configuration. He frequently used a Stratocaster modified from components of 1963, 1964, and 1965 models with J.M. Rolph pickups and a licensed Floyd Rose bridge system turning it into a Superstrat. References External links 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American musicians American heavy metal guitarists Glam metal musicians Lead guitarists Living people Mötley Crüe members People from Terre Haute, Indiana People from Garden Grove, California Year of birth uncertain Guitarists from Indiana Singers from Indiana 1951 births