Things have been rough for Exodus guitarist Gary Holt and his loved ones as of late, and the problem has gotten to be so much that his brothers in Exodus have announced they’re canceling their upcoming European tour.
Since the beginning of the month, Holt has been dealing with a situation dealing with his brother Charles Holt. While on vacation by himself in Rome, Italy on May 6, he was struck from behind by a taxi. The driver took Charles to the taxi himself and dropped him off there, so at the moment no one knows who hit him or what the circumstances were. That being said, according to the GoFundMe page his family set up to cover costs, Charles “spent three days on a gurney in a hallway awaiting even a real bed, alone.” Given the language barrier, he was left to fend for himself alone until Gary’s wife Lisa went out to be with Charles, though she also doesn’t know the language. Gary has since been at his brother’s side, but the whole ordeal has understandably been a massive drain on his resources and faculties.
As such, Exodus frontman Steve “Zetro” Souza announced via the band’s social media accounts that the European tour was canceled.
“To all our friends & fans in Europe… With very very heavy hearts, our upcoming European run which starts next week will unfortunately have to be cancelled.
“As a lot of you already know, over the past week, our brother Gary Holt had an unfortunate incident that happened to his brother in Italy, which resulted with Gary and his wife having to fly unexpectedly to take care of the situation. As some of you may or may have not read, the situation has taken a toll on our beloved brother.
“We are a family-oriented band, and family will always come first with Exodus. We hope you all understand the circumstances, at the moment, Gary needs to tend to his family. This is not what we wanted, as we were all looking forward coming to play for all of you great European fans that have supported this band for the past 40 years. Don’t worry Europe, Exodus will be back! Thank you all for understanding, we love and appreciate each and every one of you.”
Holt himself also commented on the situation, saying that while it “hurts” to have to cancel their tour, it’s what he needs in order to move forward with the situation.
“As much as it hurts, we have cancelled our tour of Europe. My mental health has been in tatters as I work to get the only other living Holt relative home. Hoping to fly tomorrow, approved for United but the connection, it will be at the partner airline’s discretion. I’m just badly in need of a reset and to get my head on straight again.
“I’m sorry, I’ve played through broken ribs and anything and everything. But I have to prioritize my brother and myself. Thank you. Time to channel this into some music.”
We wish Gary and his family the best as they continue to deal with this situation.