Deen Castronovo, the longtime drummer for American rock outfit Journey, has stepped away from the group to address personal health issues.
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Castronovo → step → issues
Established in 1973, the band's line-up includes Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Arnel Pineda, Jason Derlatka and Todd Jensen.
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up → establish → Schon
Castronovo first joined in 1998.
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Castronovo → join → 1998
In a statement published to Instagram, Journey wrote: "Dear Friends.
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Journey → publish → Instagram
After careful consideration and an extensive year of touring, our talented, longtime drummer Deen Castronovo has decided to step away to focus on personal health matters that require his attention.
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that → decide → attention
"He has our full support during this time and extends his heartfelt thanks to the fans for the love, encouragement and kindness he has received.
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he → have → love
"
Steve Murphy, who has previously collaborated with artists including Alan Parsons Project, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Christopher Cross and Jack Bruce, will replace him.
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who → collaborate → him
He will be joining Journey for the remainder of November.
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He → join → November
Concluding the statement, the band added: “We look forward to continuing to share unforgettable nights of music with all of you.”
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We → conclude → you
The decision comes a month after Castronovo suffered a medical emergency during a show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was taken to hospital.
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Castronovo → come → hospital
He returned two nights later for a show in San Antonio.
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He → return → Antonio
Neither the band nor Castronovo have disclosed details of the illness.
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band → disclose → illness
Terms apply.
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Terms → apply → ?
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we → sign → commission
This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
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revenue → help → Independent
Castronovo, 62, first joined Journey in 1998, working on five albums with the band before being fired in 2015.
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Castronovo → join → 2015
He later rejoined in 2021.
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He → rejoin → 2021
The drummer is also known for being a member of Bad English and Hardline, while he has also played for Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, Paul Rodgers and GZR, with Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler.
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he → know → Butler
Journey had their biggest commercial success between 1978 and 1987 when Steve Perry was lead vocalist – releasing a series of hit songs including “Don’t Stop Believin’”.
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Perry → have → songs
They are next due to play a show on Saturday night in Greenville, South Carolina.
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They → play → Greenville
The band is currently on the final leg of what is being promoted as their farewell tour, culminating in a homecoming concert in San Francisco in November.
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what → promote → November
“I’m sure it’s going to be somewhat emotional because that’s where it all started,” Schon told The Associated Press in August.
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Schon → ’m → August
“I know the audience is going to be off the hook.”
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audience → know → hook
The tour’s closing performance in San Francisco will round out more than 100 concerts this year, with the group frequently playing for more than two hours.
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group → round → hours
“Don’t Stop Believin’,” which was certified 18-times platinum in 2024, has had many resurgences over the years, thanks to the cut-to-black finale of The Sopranos, the TV show Glee, and Brad Pitt movie Moneyball.
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certified → stop → Sopranos
The Aporia
