The Notorious Four: Meet The Current Mötley Crüe Members And The Shocking Lineup Change Of 2025

Few bands in rock history have maintained the level of chaos, controversy, and career longevity as Mötley Crüe, and as of late 2024 and heading into 2025, the band is still very much a living, touring, and recording entity. Their legendary status, built on albums like Shout at the Devil and Dr. Feelgood, has been cemented by a series of dramatic lineup shifts and comebacks, most recently highlighted by a major change on guitar that has redefined their live show for the ongoing era, including their upcoming 2025 Las Vegas residency and North American tour dates.

This article details the current four members—Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, and new guitarist John 5—and provides a complete, updated profile for each, while also acknowledging the legacy of the founding member who stepped away. The band continues to defy expectations, even releasing new music in 2024 with the "Cancelled" EP, proving that the world's most notorious rock band is far from finished.

The Current Mötley Crüe Lineup: Complete Member Biographies

The core of Mötley Crüe has always been the combination of the four original members, but the touring lineup for 2024 and 2025 features three founders alongside a new, highly respected guitarist. Below is a complete profile for each member of the current touring band, followed by a look at the founding legend who recently retired from the road.

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Vince Neil (Lead Vocals)

• Full Name: Vincent Neil Wharton
• Date of Birth: February 8, 1961
• Role: Lead Vocalist, occasional rhythm guitarist
• Key Career Facts: Neil has been the unmistakable voice of Mötley Crüe for most of their career, known for his high-pitched, glam-metal scream. He was briefly replaced by John Corabi in the mid-1990s but returned for the 1997 album Generation Swine.

Nikki Sixx (Bass, Backing Vocals)

• Full Name: Frank Carlton Serafino Feranna Jr.
• Date of Birth: December 11, 1958
• Role: Co-founder, Bassist, main Lyricist
• Key Career Facts: Sixx is the band's primary creative force and co-founder (with Tommy Lee). He is a celebrated author, most notably for The Heroin Diaries, and the founder of the successful side project Sixx:A.M., which has released multiple studio albums.

Tommy Lee (Drums)

• Full Name: Thomas Lee Bass
• Date of Birth: October 3, 1962
• Role: Co-founder, Drummer
• Key Career Facts: Known for his flamboyant, rotating drum solos and high energy, Lee is a co-founder of the band. He has pursued a diverse solo career, including the rap-metal band Methods of Mayhem, and has remained a fixture in pop culture.

John 5 (Guitar)

• Full Name: John Lowery
• Date of Birth: July 31, 1970 (While his birth year is widely reported as 1970, some sources cite 1971, but the date is July 31)
• Role: Lead Guitarist (Joined in 2022)
• Key Career Facts: A highly respected virtuoso guitarist, John 5 joined Mötley Crüe after Mick Mars’ retirement from touring. Prior to this, he was the long-time guitarist for Rob Zombie and previously played for Marilyn Manson and David Lee Roth. His arrival has injected new technical energy into the band's live performances.

The End of an Era: Mick Mars’ Retirement and the John 5 Transition

The biggest and most significant lineup change in Mötley Crüe’s recent history occurred in late 2022 when founding lead guitarist Mick Mars announced his retirement from touring. This transition marked a monumental shift, as Mars had been a constant presence in the band since its formation in 1981, even through all the band’s previous breakups and reunions.

Mars’ decision was driven by his long-running battle with a debilitating health condition known as Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a chronic inflammatory arthritis that primarily affects the spine and large joints, causing significant pain and mobility issues.

Despite the emotional weight of his departure, the remaining members quickly brought in John 5, a close friend of Nikki Sixx and a highly versatile musician. John 5’s technical proficiency and stage presence have been praised for allowing the band to continue touring without missing a beat, especially during major events like the 2025 Las Vegas residency and the massive stadium tours.

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Mick Mars (Founding Guitarist)

• Full Name: Robert Alan Deal
• Date of Birth: May 4, 1951
• Role: Founding Lead Guitarist (1981–2022)
• Key Career Facts: Mars was the quiet, blues-influenced counterpoint to the band's glam image, known for his unique tone and dark, angular riffs that defined the band's sound on albums like Too Fast for Love and Girls, Girls, Girls. He is currently pursuing solo musical projects.

The Mötley Crüe Legacy: Albums, Side Projects, and Enduring Entities

To understand the current members, one must appreciate the vast musical landscape they created. Mötley Crüe’s discography is a roadmap of 80s and 90s rock and roll excess, filled with iconic anthems that continue to pack stadiums.

The band’s classic albums, such as 1983's Shout at the Devil and 1989's diamond-selling Dr. Feelgood, established a sound that blended heavy metal, punk, and glam rock. The current lineup is responsible for carrying the torch of these hits on the road. The band's story, immortalized in the book and Netflix film The Dirt, is a testament to their survival in the face of addiction, tragedy, and internal conflict.

Topical Entities and LSI Keywords:

• Key Albums: Too Fast for Love, Shout at the Devil, Theatre of Pain, Girls, Girls, Girls, Dr. Feelgood, Mötley Crüe (1994), Generation Swine, New Tattoo, Saints of Los Angeles.
• Side Projects: Sixx:A.M. (Nikki Sixx), Methods of Mayhem (Tommy Lee), solo Vince Neil, and John 5's work with Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson.
• Notable Tours: The Final Tour (2014-2015), The Stadium Tour (2022), and The Future Is Ours Tour (2025).
• Film/Media: The Dirt (Book and Film), Mötley Crüe vs. The World.

The continued success of Mötley Crüe, especially with a new guitarist, proves that the music and the spectacle are bigger than any single member change. The combination of the notorious three founders—Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, and Tommy Lee—with the modern shredding power of John 5 ensures that the band's legacy of hard rock hedonism will continue well into the future. Fans are eagerly anticipating the band's 2025 shows, which promise a fresh take on the classic Crüe sound.

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