R.E.M said today they decided to “call it a day” after more than 30 years of generating hits and selling millions of records.
Key members of the band, whose hits include “The One I Love” and “Losing My Religion,” addressed fans in a posting on their website, thanking them for their loyalty and saying they have astonished even themselves with their accomplishments.
“To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band.
“We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening,” the band said in its posting.
R.E.M , made up of singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bass player Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, have released 15 albums since forming in 1980. Their most recent “Collapse Into Now” was released earlier this year.
The band broke through the ranks of other rock acts in the early 1980s when they became a sensation on the U.S. college circuit singing their hit “Radio Free Europe.”
Their debut album, 1983’s “Murmur,” helped them build a cult following among America’s youth, and they crossed over to mainstream success with 1987 hit single, “The One I Love” off the album “Document.”
