Classic Rock
Foreigner’s Lou Gramm says Mick Jones is in “end stages” of Parkinson’s
For the past few years, Foreigner has been touring without any original members, with Lou Gramm appearing at selected shows. Over the decades, guitarist, songwriter, and producer Mick Jones had been the band’s only constant member, but he had to step away from live performances due to Parkinson’s disease. Gramm revealed in an interview with Scott Lipps that his former bandmate is in the “end stages” of the disease.
Foreigner’s Lou Gramm says Mick Jones is in “end stages” of Parkinson’s
“(My relationship with him) is pretty good. He’s in end stages of Alzheimer’s. So our conversations are… I can’t tell how he is. He’s distant,” he told Scott Lips. Gramm, who recently released a new solo album called “Release”, talked with News-Press and also mentioned Jones’ health status. “This Foreigner is Mick’s creation. He played with them for, I don’t know, 25 years or so. And he’s unable to play any more. He’s in the end stages.”
“The last time I talked to him, I told him that I would go out with the band for the 50th anniversary. That made him really happy. I think it’s an honor to go out anyway. So I couldn’t be happier. I’m doing it in the name of the band and for Mick… I think it’s the right thing to do, and I like singing those songs. And this version of Foreigner is very good.”
He continued:
“They’re great guys. They play the music the way it’s supposed to be played, and everything’s comfortable… They love the music, they play the music right, and they’re very friendly, you know? They stay very close to the parts that were on the albums. And so for the audience, it’s like hearing the record. That’s what I like, too. That makes it easier for me to sing,” he said. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 by Sammy Hagar.
Foreigner 2026 tour dates with Lou Gramm
December
- 6 – Staten Island, NY – St. George Theatre
- 7 – Bethlehem, PA 0 Wind Creek Event Theater
- 9 – Wallingford, CT 0 Oakdale Theatre
- 11 – Montclair, NJ 0 Wellmont Theater
- 12 – Montclair, NJ 0 Wellmont Theater
- 13 – Williamsport, PA 0 Community Arts Center
Other Foreigner tour dates (without Gramm)
July (With Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- 23 – Atlanta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
- 24 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
- 25 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
- 26 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
- 30 – Toronto, Ontario – RBC Amphitheatre
- 31 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
August (With Lynyrd Skynyrd)
- 1 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater
- 6 – Saint Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
- 7 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
- 8 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
- 14 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater
- 16 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater
- 20 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
- 21 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
- 22 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
- 23 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
- 27 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion
- 28 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
- 29 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP
