Frontman Justin Hawkins quits The Darkness

The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins sensationally announced that he quits the British rock group in an interview with the British Sun newspaper. Hawkins successfully completed a month-long rehab treatment for drink and drug problems at the world-famous Priory clinic in England.

He told The Sun how he has spent £150,000 (about $300,000) on cocaine, and that his life and performances have revolved around his addiction to drugs and booze.

He said: "I hit absolute rock bottom. I spent over £150,000 on cocaine in three years - a frightening amount. I was consuming up to five grams a day which cost me £1,000 a week, sometimes more. I regularly used to stay up for four days at a time on coke and alcohol binges."

Justin began taking cocaine in 2002 when The Darkness shot to fame with their debut single I Believe In A Thing Called Love.

He added: "I feel like I've lost three years of my life. I'm only just coming to terms with what has happened because I was always off my face."

The frontman feels guilty about leaving the band, but knows it's the best thing for his health. "I feel bad for the others. It will be an upheaval. But it's time to move on. It would be damaging to stay on."

Hawkins' former bandmates - including his guitarist brother Dan - reportedly plan to continue without him, despite poor sales of their second album 'One way ticket to hell and back'. They posted the following message on the band's official website:

"We're sorry that you had to find this out through the newspapers, but we were hoping until the last minute that this - Justin's exit - wasn't going to happen. We - Dan, Ed and Richie - are still in total shock and can't say at this stage what the future holds. We would like to thank all our fans, partners and family for their continuous support. You will hear from us, once we know what we want to do..."
Submit the above story to:

Del.icio.us   Digg   reddit   StumbleUpon   Facebook