officially in July 2002. In Guns N' Roses, Fortus plays both rhythm guitar and occasional lead guitar. Lead singer Axl Rose is very pleased with Fortus's work and has said, "He's an amazing lead player and very technically skilled. He really likes the pocket that Brain sets and the two of them click with Tommy so we finally have the real deal rhythm section, as Richard is a proven professional. Basically, Richard's the guy that we always were looking for." Fortus recorded guitars for the band's 2008 album Chinese Democracy and appears on the live release Appetite for Democracy 3D. Fortus has been present at every tour since 2002, most recently at the Not in This Lifetime... Tour, playing alongside classic-era members Slash and Duff McKagan. The Dead Daisies (2013–16) In 2013, Fortus joined the Dead Daisies with the likes of Jon Stevens and Dave Lowy as well as Guns N' Roses bandmates Frank Ferrer and Dizzy Reed. Their eponymous debut album was released on August 9, 2013. A second album, Revolucion, was released in 2015. Fortus left the Dead Daisies in 2016 to focus on Guns N' Roses. Other projects Fortus was in a group called Honky Toast with Frank Ferrer, singer Eric J. Toast, and bassist E.Z. Bake. The group released one album, 1999's Watcha Gonna Do Honky?. Fortus has collaborated with techno-rock musician BT on several occasions, including touring with him in 2000. In March 2008, Fortus was one of the guest guitarists for the reunion shows of X Japan at the Tokyo Dome. He played with them three more times in 2018: on April 10 and 11 at Zepp Divercity and on April 14 at Coachella. In 2008, he joined the Danish rock/pop band the Storm on their tour. Fortus played guitar on their first record, Where the Storm Meets the Ground, and is a personal friend of lead singer Pernille Rosendahl and lead guitarist Johan Wohlert. Fortus provided guitar for former The Replacements and Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson's two solo albums. Fortus also recorded a cover of the "James Bond Theme" for Guitar Hero World Tour and later played the song live as a solo spot during Guns N' Roses's 2012 tour. He has collaborated with singer-songwriter Lásse Kvernmo in a project called Sáivu. Fortus has also recorded or toured with acts such as Rihanna, N*SYNC, Nena, and Ben Folds, among others. Fortus