Tichy bows out of Whitesnake

Into the SUNshine: Brian Tichy, right, with Whitesnake

Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy has bowed out of the band after a two-year stint.

The former Ozzy Osbourne, Glenn Hughes, Foreigner and Billy Idol collaborator is to concentrate on his new project Something Unto Nothing (SUN) fronted by Sass Jordan, with whom he collaborated in 1994.

He leaves David Coverdale’s outfit after having recorded one album, 2011′s Forevermore, with them.

The mainman says in a statement: “We are truly sad to see him go. But we fully support the pursuit of his ambitions and sincerely wish him well.

“His fearless drumming brought a relentless driving edge to our music that we fully embraced. Good luck, Brian – may the SUN shine brightly on you!”

Whitesnake bassist Michael Devin is also a member of SUN but will remain with Coverdale’s band. They’re now working on replacing Tichy, and say the lineup change won’t affect their 2013 touring plans.

Meanwhile, Tichy is recovering from a broken collarbone, sustained during a mountain bike accident at the end of December, which forced him to miss a New Year’s Eve concert with Led Zeppelin tribute band The Moby Dicks.

He reported: “My year will be all uphill from here. I’ll be seeing my healer wizard and get this BS out the way ASAP. There’s an angel on my shoulder – but she’s f-in heavy!”