In 2024, Swedish musician Erik Grönwall announced his exit from Skid Row. He was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2021, and while he’s been battling it quite efficiently, it was difficult to balance his recovery with the band’s needs.
The singer spoke about his decision to leave in an interview with Chaoszine. He noted the difficulty of his decision, having fallen in love with the band (via Blabbermouth):
“Leaving the band was one of the toughest career decisions I ever had to make. I loved being in that band. It didn’t hurt waking up being the lead singer of Skid Row. But I would still be in the band if that was an option.”
“I left to respect the person who went through the leukemia — I mean, the person at the hospital. I promised myself that I would always put my health first. And when I felt like I couldn’t do that being in the band, I just had to make that decision.”
Grönwall continued:
“I loved my time in the band. I had so much fun with the guys. We clicked right away, and I will always look back at that time with a smile, for sure. And I would have loved to stay in the band. But given the circumstances, we just couldn’t find common ground in terms of how much we should tour.”
