Both Darren Jay “DJ” Ashba and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal announced that their departure from Guns N’ Roses this week. While the details on Bumblefoot’s decision to quit the band are murky at best, Ashba laid out his reasoning in the following statement:

It is with a very heavy heart and yet great pride that I announce that I’ve decided to close this chapter of my life and encapsulate the wonderful times that I’ve shared with Guns N’ Roses into fond memories. I have reached a point in my life where I feel its time to dedicate myself to my band SIXX: A.M., my adoring wife and family, and to the many new adventures that the future holds for me.

As for Bumblefoot, it’s not entirely clear when he informally left Guns N’ Roses. As Blabbermouth reports, the guitarist quit last year when the band was in South America, but didn’t make an official announcement. Bumblefoot told journalist Gary Graff the following:

That is the thing I am not to elaborate on. I think there’s enough clues out there for you to figure out what I’m up to now… I’m a real busy guy and really enjoying everything I’m doing, and I think that everything I’m doing has a future and a bigger plan — the solo stuff, the other bands, the producing, the charity and educational things I’m doing. These are all the things I love that I’ve really missed, and I’m very happy to be putting my time back into that. It’s really what I should be doing.

Bumblefoot joined Guns N’ Roses in 2006 as Buckethead’s replacement. He released a solo album, Little Brother Is Watching, back in February. Read more about his departure here.