The list of former Whitesnake members has increased by one. Doug Aldrich, the band’s guitarist has officially left the group.

In a statement on his Facebook page, Aldrich expressed his admiration for the band’s front man David Coverdale. “Thanks to my big bro David for such a killer run together!! So many songs, tours, projects, always inspiring and pushing each other!”

He also thanked the Whitesnake fans. “Mostly I was (sic) to thank the loyal WS Choir and fans around the world. You have been so amazing to me and it's been an honor to play for you with WS. I love you guys and I'll see you all again. Thank you so very much for your unending support.”

Aldrich, who had previously played in Dio, joined Whitesnake in 2003 just in time for the group’s 25th anniversary. During his time in the group, Aldrich contributed to the albums ‘Good to be Bad’ in 2008 and ‘Forevermore’ in 2011.

It is unknown at this time what the reasons for Aldrich’s departure are, but he did take care to mention in his statement that he has no plans to go it alone. “Also, not sure how or where the info started about a solo career but this is not true or correct information. I have no plans at this time to go solo:) I'm just not in the Whitesnake/David Coverdale band anymore.”

Earlier this year, Aldrich became a regular performer in the ‘Raiding the Rock Vault’ show in Las Vegas. The guitarist shares the stage five nights a week with other rock luminaries like Howard Leese of Heart and Bad Company, Robin McAuley of Survivor and John Payne of Asia featuring John Payne.

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