Tommy Lee has described Mötley Crüe’s legal dispute with former touring guitarist Mick Mars as “awkward” and “really hurtful”, while saying he still has affection and respect for his longtime bandmate. The disagreement followed Mars’s 2022 withdrawal from touring because of worsening ankylosing spondylitis, and it matters because it ended a decades-long working relationship amid a fight over his role and financial stake in the band.

Mars sued the group six months after saying he would stop touring but remain a member, alleging the other members sought to reduce his business interests; Mötley Crüe said in January that arbitration rejected all his claims and ordered him to pay damages. Lee said Mars’s health problems had increasingly affected live performances, including apparent confusion over songs, and praised replacement guitarist John 5 as bringing fresh energy and detailed knowledge of the music. Mars’s lawyer has criticised the arbitration decision, arguing the ruling was unjust.