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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Reanna Smith

Why did Blink-182's original line-up split and why did Tom DeLonge leave the band?

Blink-182 have announced a major new world tour in 2023, as well as the release of new music.

Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus have finally reunited with founding member Tom DeLonge, who will be joining them on the tour.

The trio haven't performed together since DeLonge left the band in a dramatic series of events back in 2015.

Announcing the news on Twitter, they said: "We’re coming. Tour’s coming. Album’s coming. Tom’s coming."

They also revealed that their new song, Edging, is set to be released on Friday (October 14).

Blink-182 have established themselves as one of the biggest pop-punk bands of all time, but their global success hasn't come without its difficulties over the years.

The band has suffered a series of line-up changes as well as a four-year hiatus.

As they return to stages around the world, here's who was kicked out of the band, why they split originally and why Tom left in 2015.

Who got kicked out of Blink-182?

When Blink-182 originally formed back in 1992, the pop punk group consisted of guitarist Tom DeLonge, drummer Scott Raynor and bassist Mark Hoppus.

The trio began rising through the ranks together, and by 1996 they'd started to gain interest from major labels and signed with MCA. They quickly began non-stop touring as well as recording new music.

However, in 1998 drummer Scott Raynor was kicked out of the band midway through their tour.

The intense touring schedule had caused tensions between the band members and Raynor had an alcohol addition that added to this.

Raynor's addiction had started to impact the band's performances, and DeLonge and Hoppus eventually gave him an ultimatum to either stop drinking or go to rehab.

While Raynor did both of these things, he was still fired by the band and was replaced by Travis Barker.

Why did Blink-182 break up?

The band took an indefinite hiatus in 2005 (Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

After Travis joined the band, Blink-182 continued to be successful and were catapulted to fame with the release of their 1999 album Enema of State, which included hits All the Small Things, What's My Age Again and Adam's Song.

They continued releasing more hits and touring until 2005, when the band hit a rocky patch once again.

In February their label, Geffen Records, announced the band would be taking an "indefinite hiatus".

Their breakup came after a number of problems, but the main incentive was the desire to focus on their personal lives. However, it was also reported they had argued about their future recording process.

The statement said that the band wanted to “spend some time enjoying the fruits of their labors with loved ones”, adding: “While there is no set plan for the band to begin working together again, no one knows what tomorrow may bring."

The band went on to focus on solo projects and Travis and Mark also continued making music together, forming the band +44.

But in 2009, fans were ecstatic when Blink-182 finally reunited following Travis Barker's horrifying 2008 plane crash, which saw the drummer sustain severe burns as four others were killed.

They confirmed the reunion on the stage of the 2009 Grammy Awards, with Hoppus shouting: "Blink-182 is back!"

Why did Tom DeLonge leave the band?

Tom DeLonge left in 2015 (Getty Images for WIRED)

In 2015 it was revealed that Tom DeLonge would be leaving the band "indefinitely", and the messy departure saw the guitarist and co-vocalist claim that his relationship with the other band members had been "poisoned", that communication had broken down, and he had become frustrated with being prevented from working on his own media company.

The news of his departure was announced by bandmates Travis Barker and Mark Hoppus in a press release.

They explained in the statement: "We were all set to play this festival and record a new album and Tom kept putting it off without reason.

"A week before we were scheduled to go in to the studio we got an email from his manager explaining that he didn’t want to participate in any Blink-182 projects indefinitely, but would rather work on his other non-musical endeavors."

However, DeLonge then denied that he'd quit the band on Instagram, captioning a post: "To all the fans, I never quit the band.

"I actually was on a phone call about a blink 182 event for New York City at the time all these weird press releases started coming in... Apparently those releases were 'sanctioned' from the band. Are we dysfunctional- yes. But, Christ....."

DeLonge then published a lengthy letter to his fans on Facebook explaining what had gone wrong in the band and revealing that he, Travis and Mark had always had a "dysfunctional" relationship.

He wrote: "There’s three of us – we’re all accountable. At the end of the day, we’ve always been dysfunctional, which is why we haven’t talked in months. But we never did. In the 8 years we have been together it has always been that way."

He also explained that his frustrations with the band grew when they attempted to delay the release of his new solo album, adding: "You can imagine my frustration when I was handed a 60-page Blink contract saying I couldn’t release an Angels album for 9 months and that the Blink album had to be recorded in 6 months, which was impossible for me."

He finished the statement, saying: "I still care deeply for them. Like brothers, and like old friends. But our relationship got poisoned yesterday.

"Never planned on quitting, just find it hard as hell to commit."

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