Singer Austin Carlile Leaves Of Mice & Men, Citing Health Concerns

— -- Of Mice & Men frontman Austin Carlile has left the band, due to his continued struggle with Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disorder.

"It's with heavy hearts that we announce Austin's departure from the band for reasons pertaining to his health," wrote the members of Of Mice & Men in a Facebook post.

"After his most recent series of surgeries at Stanford University Hospital, following the cancellation of our European headlining tour, his team of doctors informed him of the damage that performing, & more specifically his aggressive vocals, have been causing his body," the band's statement continued.

In his own statement, Carlile says that he's suffered four spinal tears, which has caused him "violent pain every time I'd perform," especially because of his screaming vocal style.

"My team advised me that if I continued to do so, it would cause 'permanent and irrevocable damage to my spinal cord and nervous system,'" he wrote. "After learning this I realized that I had to step away from Of Mice & Men, no longer able to scream most of our old material, or continue to scream on anything new. I cannot continue on."

The remaining four members of Of Mice & Men will continue to make music together, and will play the band's scheduled European tour dates this summer. Carilile, meanwhile, says he "will not stop playing music."

"I am still able to sing and I'm hungry for what is next to come even though I have no idea what that may be," he wrote.

Carlile and Of Mice & Men recorded four albums together, the most recent of which being 2016's "Cold World."