Panic! At The Disco Drummer Spencer Smith Quits

Founding Panic! At The Disco drummer Spencer Smith has walked out on the band after 10 years behind the kit.

The 27-year-old sticksman has released a lengthy statement via the Las Vegas rockers’ official website to break the news to fans, explaining how he’d come to the tough realisation that his time with the group was through.

The statement reads, in part:

This was not an easy decision to come to, but after a lot of thinking it became clear that this is what’s right for me and the band. I love this band with all my heart, and getting to see it grow from 4 kids in my parents garage to what it is now has been incredible. I loved it all. But, at a certain point, I realized that I wasn’t able to be there for the band the way I wanted to be, and more importantly, the way they needed me to be.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have been surrounded by the people I have been all these years. They truly are my best friends. A few years ago, when my addiction grabbed hold, and wouldn’t let go, they could have easily kicked me out, and never looked back, but they didn’t. Instead, they encouraged me to seek treatment, and gave me the time I needed to get my life back in order…

All of those moments that made me want to say, “I’ve had enough, this is crazy, I quit!” those are some of my favorite memories now. But what will stick with me the most is showing up in city after city and finding more and more of you who had learned the lyrics to all our songs, or had made home made t-shirts with our faces surrounded in puff paint, or baked us cookies from your grandmas secret recipe and put a single hair in each one (ok, that one was a little creepy…creepy, but delicious). For me, that’s what made it all so surreal.

Yes, getting to travel around the world with my friends was no doubt some of the best memories of my life, but it was what happened during that hour and a half on stage each night that was truly magic. And none of it was possible without you…

So, thank you. I truly cannot wait to see what’s next for Panic, whatever it is, it’s going to be great. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for giving me the life I only dreamed of 10 short years ago.

Read the full statement here.

Smith formed the group in 2004 with childhood friends Ryan Ross, Dallon Weekes and Brendon Urie. His departure means vocalist/guitarist Urie is now the band’s only remaining founding member.

Panic! At The Disco released their most recent album, Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die! in 2013, and last toured Australia as part of last year’s Soundwave festival.