Guns N' Roses Sues Ex-Drummer Steven Adler In Today's History, 19 July 1991

JAKARTA - On July 19, 1991, former drummer Steven Adler filed a lawsuit against his former Guns N' Roses bandmates. Adler claims the Guns N' Roses members forced him to sign a contract that removed his financial interest by taking his royalties.

Adler also stated that he was kicked out of Guns N' Roses because of the drugs he was taking. The drug Adler was taking to help detoxify had the effect of disrupting his concentration.

“I was told that every time I used heroin, the band would fine me $2,000. What this contract really says is that the band paid me $2,000 to resign. They took my royalties, all my writing credits. They didn't like me and wanted me to leave," Adler said.

The case was settled out of court in 1993. Guns N' Roses made an out-of-court settlement payment of US$2.5 million to Steven Adler.

Steven Adler was fired from Gun N' Roses in 1990 and the drummer was replaced by Cult Matt Sorum. The news of Adler's dismissal has been circulating since 1989.

On January 30, 1989 Guns N' Roses won the 1989 American Music Awards for Favorite Pop Rock Single. Guns N 'Roses won awards through Sweet Child O' Mine.

At that time Guns N 'Roses performed Patience without Adler and the drum position at that time was filled by Don Henley. They then told the public and the press that Adler was not present because he had the flu.

But the press smelled that Adler was actually in a drug rehab center. After leaving Guns N' Roses, Adler became increasingly involved in drug abuse, leading to health problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

Adler has also made several attempts to re-enter the rock scene since leaving Guns N' Roses. Adler joined his former band Road Crew before joining the BulletBoys.

But neither of them had much success. Adler's biggest publicity during the '90s was not based on music and he was once jailed for assaulting two women in separate cases.

Adler also played in the band Adler's Appetite in the early 2000s and formed the band Adler in 2012. To deal with his addiction, Adler appeared on the reality TV show, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Adler. Drew twice, in seasons two and five.

Adler was also at the Sober House show. Adler was married twice. The first was with Cheryl, the woman he had been dating for so long even though the two separated shortly after due to drug addiction. Adler later married Caroline Ferreira, the couple married in 2002.

In an interview in 2019, Adler said he became a better person during his time with Guns N' Roses. But it all ended after his Guns N' Roses colleagues fired him in 1990.

"It's sad. But this is life. And I'm not the first," the drummer told Iowa's Lazer 103.3.

"I didn't invent this nonsense. Unfortunately, I was born with this, what is it called? An addictive personality."

Citing Loudwire, Adler explains he's always struggled with abandonment issues too. Those kinds of things started when his biological father left when he was a baby.

"And then the band left me, and it really broke me," he added, stating that the event made his drug addiction worse.

"I could have made myself better before they finally fired me," the drummer complained.

"I can be a better person or I can go beyond. There are two things to keep going -- up or down -- and I'm down. It's heartbreaking. It's too much. It's overwhelming anxiety and depression, thrown away like that," Adler said .

Adler and Guns N' Roses then held several reunion shows Not in This Lifetime in 2016, where they played several songs from the album Appetite for Destruction. At that time, Adler hoped to be more involved in the tour and maintain his optimistic attitude.

"It was just amazing. I think for sure Axl (Rose) and Slash and Duff (McKagan) will say, 'We should take Steve more often.' But they didn't. And that's okay," he said.

"As Freddie Mercury said, 'A year of love is better than a lifetime of being alone,'" Adler concluded.

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