The Jam’s Bruce Foxton reveals he’s stepping back from music due to illness

21 August 2024, 13:40 | Updated: 21 August 2024, 13:45

He's been dogged by health issues in recent years it seems.

Though Bruce Foxton has never clarified what it is that he's been suffering from, he is taking a step back from music as he recovers.

The bass player is a founding member of The Jam, who came together in 1972 with school friends Paul Weller and Rick Buckler.

The trio became one of the most popular and influential groups of the punk rock and new wave era, releasing six albums between 1977 and 1982.

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The Jam broke up in 1982, with Paul Weller moving on to found The Style Council and Foxton joining Belfast punk rockers Stiff Little Fingers.

But the bassist - who notably plays the iconic Rickenbacker bass - has been performing ever since, joining the tribute to his former band From The Jam in 2007.

He's been playing with From The Jam from then onwards, until now that is, as he's stepping back from touring having undergone "an immediate procedure".

Foxton took to Facebook to make a statement about his long-standing health issues.

"To all my lifelong wonderful fans, as a lot of you know my health has not been good for the past few years and the latest news is that I have had to go into hospital for an immediate procedure," he wrote.

"It is with much regret and sadness that I will not be able to perform again with From the Jam until I have made a full recovery."

"The band has done everything to help me for the past couple of years and have even suggested several times that I take time off to look after my health and recuperate."

Whilst he didn't provide any timeframe on when he'd be able to return, Foxton remained optimistic in his statement.

"With God’s will I will see you all in the not too distant future on the Setting Sons 45th-anniversary tour."

The Jam's official Twitter/X account also followed up to clear up misreporting from the Daily Mirror that he had been "rushed to hospital".

The post read: "Bruce was NOT rushed to hospital and rather than "sad" this is positive news as Bruce is taking time to convalesce."

The Jam's 45th anniversary tour for the aforementioned Setting Sons album - which was released in 1979 - is set to begin on 2nd October 2024.

It's uncertain whether Foxton will recover in that time, though the tour concludes on 17th May 2025 so he might be back on the bass by then.

There's no chance that his original band, The Jam, will ever make a full reunion however, as singer Paul Weller wants to continue pursuing personal ambitions.

When asked about a potential reunion in 2015 documentary, About The Young Idea, Weller replied: Absolutely, categorically, fucking no."

"To me it would be against everything we ever stood for. More than ever the older I get, the more I want to see what I can do. I just want to push it as far as I can."