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Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendan Urie has revealed that bandmate Spencer Smith has pulled out of the band's upcoming shows, following his recent admission of drug addiction.
Drummer Smith revealed his four and a half year addiction in a personal statement in July 2013, confessing to issues with alcohol and prescription drugs. Now, the band's frontman has written a personal letter to fans revealing that Smith needs more time to recover from his demons, and will not be performing at the band's upcoming shows - including support dates with Fall Out Boy.
"Spencer and I have been through a lot of hurdles together, but witnessing one of my closest friends immersed in such a battle has been the most difficult," wrote Urie on his blog. "There was never anything I could say to comfort him or empathize with his situation. What the fuck could I possibly say to him to make him feel like everything was gonna be okay? So I told myself that all I could do was work even harder with whatever I was doing to make sure he didn’t have to stress about anything. So I did.
"It’s become evident Spencer still needs more time to take care of himself," he added. "I can’t expect him to be fighting addiction one minute and be fully immersed in a national tour the next.
"With all that said, the tour will continue without Spencer while he is away getting the help he needs. Thank you all for your support and kind words."
Click here to read Brendan Urie's full, and intimate letter about Spencer Smith
Watch the video for 'Miss Jackson' by Panic! At The Disco below:
In his initial message to fans, Spencer revealed that his self medication was a way of "never having to deal with any underlying issues causing the depression" and that he "quickly became a serious addict."
"I was taking a dangerous amount of pills while drinking to chase the high, and just like with any other substance, the higher the high is, the lower the low is," he wrote in a personal message to fans.
However, the drummer went on to state how last year after months of trying to quit, he began treatment with the support of his bandmates and is now firmly on the road to recovery.
He ends his message stating "it gets better one day at a time" and urges anyone sufferring in the same way to seek help.
