Former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade has announced his retirement from drumming at the age of 79, citing worsening effects from a stroke he suffered seven years ago. The Welsh musician is best known for performing on AC/DC's hugely successful 1990 album The Razors Edge, and he also played with Tom Jones, Manfred Mann's Earth Band, Asia and Uriah Heep during a professional career that began when he was 16.

In a statement, Slade said he had hoped to keep performing into his 80s like the Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney, but the lingering effects of the small stroke meant he could no longer continue. He was replaced in AC/DC by Phil Rudd in 1994, before returning to the band in 2015 for the Rock or Bust tour when Rudd faced legal trouble; Slade had previously turned down an offer from Malcolm Young to stay on as Rudd's understudy.