Thirty Seconds to Mars will be looking for a new guitarist soon. Tomo Milicevic, who was the band’s lead guitarist since 2003, announced on Tuesday that he is leaving. Milicevic previously took a break from touring in March due to “personal matters.”
“There’s really not an easy way to say it so I thought, just say it. I am no longer with Thirty Seconds To Mars,” wrote the 38-year-old guitarist in a statement posted on Twitter. “I don’t really know how to explain in a note how I could have come to a decision like this, but please believe me when I say that this is the best thing for me in my life and also for the band.”
He also praised former bandmates, Jared and Shannon Leto, thanking them for the opportunity to be a part of Thirty Seconds to Mars.
“Most of all I want to say thank you to Jared and Shannon for allowing me the privilege to be a small part of their dream and to have been able to share the stage with them for so long. I’ll cherish the moments we had together, and I’ll have love in my heart ever time I think of those days until I draw my final breath,” Milicevic added.
You can read the full statement from Tomo Milicevic below.
— Uncle Tomo (@tomofromearth) June 11, 2018
Tomo Milicevic began his musical career playing in several bands in Detroit, before forming a band with Morphic. In 2002, he decided to leave the band due to various reasons and was close to quitting his music career. However, he later decided to audition to become the new guitarist of Thirty Seconds to Mars, after Solon Bixler parted ways with the band. The audition turned out to be successful, and Milicevic went on to record four critically acclaimed albums with the band since then. He also occasionally produced and wrote songs for other artists.
