Journey announces that drummer Deen Castronovo is exiting the band and stepping away from upcoming performances. Multiple outlets say the decision follows recent onstage health problems, including mid-show departures and an earlier medical emergency during a Tulsa, Oklahoma performance. The band’s public message indicates Castronovo’s departure is linked to his health concerns, with replacements handling duties for scheduled dates.
Billboard, Variety and other reports add that Steve Murphy is set to fill in for the rest of November. Vice frames the move as the drummer leaving the remainder of Journey’s “Final Frontier” farewell tour to address health woes, while Post and Consequence describe the reason more generally as “personal health matters.” The Independent also reports the choice as a career decision following a medical emergency, without adding details beyond the circumstances of the hospitalization and onstage incidents.
Across coverage, outlets consistently connect the exit to health issues and note that Castronovo was forced to leave the stage more than once. Where sources differ is mainly in how they describe the tour status (farewell tour vs. mid-tour) and the wording used for the underlying cause (health concerns vs. personal health matters).
