Mike Love Is ‘Facing Serious Health Challenges,’ Says John Stamos

Mike Love, the sole remaining original member of The Beach Boys still touring under the group’s name, is “facing serious health challenges,” John Stamos wrote in an update to fans on Sunday (Oct. 11).

Stamos, who sometimes performs with The Beach Boys, posted a candid note on Instagram en route to Sunday night’s concert at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Stamos said he was “struggling to put my feelings into words.”

He made the post following Saturday’s (Oct. 10) concert in Cincinnati, marking the group’s return after the Beach Boys hit pause on a summer tour in July to allow Love time to “recharge.” The announcement affected six weeks’ worth of tour dates, totaling nearly 30 shows.

Footage from the Cincinnati show on social media showed Stamos introducing Love and helping a feeble Love walk out and sit in a chair, where Love remained through the evening, occasionally joining in on songs. Other band members took turns singing lead on tunes usually handled by Love, according to Rolling Stone.

“My beloved friend, father figure, musical hero and mentor, Mike Love, is facing serious health challenges,” said Stamos, who did not give specific details about Love’s health condition. “We hope he’ll be doing what he loves for years to come, but we don’t know what the future holds. We have tonight.”

His message continued: “Mike is a fighter. Despite doctors, family and friends urging him to focus on his health, he insists on being on stage. He says he needs his band, the audience, his friends and drummer surrounding him to lift him up.”

“I’ve played with Mike for 41 years,” said Stamos. “I never imagined how deeply it would affect me to see someone larger than life face something so human and fragile. The Mike Love we see tonight may not be exactly the Mike we’ve always known. But he’s still every bit the Mike we love.”

Stamos said he hoped to be “completely present” onstage with Love at Sunday night’s concert, to “feel that first chord hit and watch age, illness and time disappear.”

The Beach Boys have a limited slate of dates scheduled currently, including a Nov. 11 performance at Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park near Orlando, Fla., and a Nov. 13 concert at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Bristol, Va. Looking ahead to 2027, the band has a May 8 show on the calendar at River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch, Alberta, Canada.

Al Jardine, the only other living member of the classic-era Beach Boys lineup, doesn’t perform with Love’s current Beach Boys formation — but does still hit the road as The Pet Sounds Band with members of Brian Wilson’s backing group. Bruce Johnston stepped away from touring earlier this year after 61 years on the band.

Read Stamos’ Oct. 11 note about Mike Love in its entirety below:

I’m boarding a plane to Nashville to play with the Beach Boys at the Ryman Auditorium, struggling to put my feelings into words.

My beloved friend, father figure, musical hero and mentor, Mike Love, is facing serious health challenges. We hope he’ll be doing what he loves for years to come, but we don’t know what the future holds. We have tonight.

Mike is a fighter. Despite doctors, family and friends urging him to focus on his health, he insists on being on stage. He says he needs his band, the audience, his friends and drummer surrounding him to lift him up.

I’ve played with Mike for 41 years. I never imagined how deeply it would affect me to see someone larger than life face something so human and fragile.

The Mike Love we see tonight may not be exactly the Mike we’ve always known. But he’s still every bit the Mike we love.

His lyrics, optimism, unforgettable hooks and more than 7,000 concerts have brought joy to generations. What he’s given me personally is immeasurable.

Forty-one years of stages, airplanes, hotel rooms, laughter and moments nobody else saw. He married Caitlin and me. He’s shared experiences with my family, and now my son.

Mike didn’t just give me a place in his band. He gave me a place in his life.

He taught me how to entertain, hold a stage, connect with an audience and make people feel something. I carry those lessons everywhere. He’s made me a better musician, entertainer and man.

This life with Mike and the Beach Boys has become part of my identity. I’ve felt entrusted with being a steward of this extraordinary music, carrying it to new generations.

Tonight, at the Ryman, sharing the stage with Mike, I want to be completely present. Hear every harmony, familiar joke and cheer. Feel that first chord hit and watch age, illness and time disappear. Just a bunch of guys making music together.

Maybe the hardest part of loving someone is becoming so accustomed to the miracle of having them there that you forget it’s a miracle at all.

Tonight, I won’t forget.

I want to cherish every second without feeling those seconds slipping away.

That’s what I’m giving him.

We don’t know what tomorrow brings. But we have tonight.