Dee Snider has officially detailed the severe medical setbacks that forced him to step away from Twisted Sister’s highly anticipated 2026 50th-anniversary tour.
Appearing on the “Beardo & Weirdo” podcast, hosted by Five Finger Death Punch bassist Chris Kael and comedian Craig Gass, the legendary frontman explained how a series of harsh medical realities and a family intervention led to his early retirement from the stage.
Snider’s decision to back out began with a stark warning from his surgeon regarding the physical toll of his high-energy performances.
“First of all, becoming face-to-face with mortality. And as the doctor said to me, ‘Dude, you’re great, amazing for a 71-year-old. But you can’t do that anymore. You’re done. Your body parts are worn out, and you got nothing left.’ And the funniest thing [was] when the surgeon looked at my X-ray, [he said], ‘Do you jump around much?’ ‘Yeah. That’s kind of what I do.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, well, you’re done,'” he said.
Seeking a hip replacement to prolong his career, the singer was dealt another blow when doctors discovered dangerous hypertension and hidden heart issues. Ultimately, his family stepped in to put his health first.
“And my family literally had to sit down with me and pretty much begged me to stop. And basically, my kids, they’re, like, ‘Why are you doing this? What do you got to prove? It’s not a financial thing for you. You’ve got everything that you ever dreamed of, everything you wanted. It’s pure ego.'”
Snider humorously pointed the finger at Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson for giving him temporary false hope about his physical capabilities.
“Also — I blame Bruce Dickinson. I’m blaming Bruce Dickinson because when I found out that my hip was shot, I get a call from Bruce. I hadn’t spoken to him since the Powerslave tour. And he reaches out to say, ‘Dee,’ he said, ‘I’ve had it done twice.’ He goes, ‘And I’m back in action.’ And I said, ‘You’re back in action?’ Now mind you, I think Bruce is 10 years younger than me. I said, ‘You’re back in action?’ He says, ‘Yeah, man. I’m thrusting, I’m parrying.’ I said, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. What about the band?’ ‘Oh, yeah, the band too. But I’m fencing, man.’ All he cared about was that he was still thrusting and parrying. But when I heard him say, ‘Okay, back in action a hundred percent,’ I was, like, ‘All right, I could do this.'”
Encouraged by the conversation, Snider had his hip repaired and attempted a test run on stage with Lita Ford, similar to past guest spots he had done with Bret Michaels. The result was a disaster.
“And that’s when I was going for the surgery that I found out that I had a heart issue that I did not know about. And that was when they pulled the rug out from under me. And then I still — like an a**hole — so I got the hip. It was better. I’m, like, ‘You know what? I’m going out there. I wanna test it out.’ Lita Ford had asked me to do a few songs with her, like I used to do with Bret [Michaels] and stuff.”
Snider continued: “So I go up there on stage and I walk out on stage and I’m going, ‘Damn, this thing feels good.’ I’m thrusting and I’m parrying — bounce, bounce, bounce, and the knee goes. Three bounces — knee goes. And I’m, like, ‘Whoa. Son of a bi**h.’ And I’m just hearing that surgeon going, ‘You’re done. You’re done. You’re done.'”
After having his knee surgically repaired, Snider chose to prioritize his current quality of life, which includes living at his North Carolina family compound, directing a movie, and hosting his syndicated radio show, ‘House Of Hair‘. He also noted a strong desire to preserve the legacy of Twisted Sister’s original 2016 farewell.
“So I got the knee fixed, and I was, like, all right, am I gonna keep playing this game? I go out there and then I break something else and I tear something else, or I injure something else, or I enjoy my life. Day to day, I’m living my best life, without a doubt. I built a family compound in North Carolina. I’ve got all my kids, my wife, my grandkids, everybody here. I’m living a good life. I’m directing my first movie in a couple of months. I’m writing. I’m doing other things. I’m still doing my radio show. 29 years I’ve been doing my syndicated radio show, ‘House Of Hair‘. So it’s not that I’m lacking any outlet or creativity or tension. But for my ego, do I really need to get up there on stage and I could prove that I could do it one more time?”
He concluded: “When Twisted Sister retired in 2016 — that was 10 years ago — I had a 29-inch waist, I weighed 175 pounds. I had an eight-pack. I’m ripped to shreds. At 61 years old I am ripped to shreds and I am performing at my peak. And it was a friend of mine [who] said, ‘You really wanna go back 10 years later? You know you can’t take your shirt off. You know you ain’t got no 29-inch waist. That ship sailed a few inches ago.’ And he goes, ‘You can’t possibly compare to that. You went out on a high note. You were 61. You said, ‘Goodbye, everybody.’ And now you’re gonna come back 10 years later and suck?’ And I may not suck, but that was besides the health issues. Even if I go out there, I’m 10 years older. I’m 10 years more worn out.”
In a previous statement, he made his performing philosophy clear:
“I don’t know of any other way to rock,” Dee said. “The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I’d rather walk away than be a shadow of my former self.”
With Snider out, former Skid Row vocalist Sebastian Bach will front Twisted Sister for their scheduled fall dates. The revamped 2026 lineup will feature:
- Sebastian Bach (Vocals)
- Jay Jay French (Guitar)
- Eddie Ojeda (Guitar)
- Russell Pzütto (Bass) – Replacing Mark “The Animal” Mendoza
- Joey Cassata (Drums) – Replacing Joe Franco, who was initially set to fill in for the late A.J. Pero. Cassata played on Ace Frehley‘s solo album, 10,000 Volts.
Currently, the only confirmed date for the new lineup is a September 4 performance at the Alaska State Fair.
