Thaindian News

LOS ANGELES (BNO NEWS) — The popular American rock band R.E.M. on Wednesday announced it is splitting up after more than 30 years, the group said in a statement.

R.E.M. was formed in Georgia in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. After dropping out of school and finding a manager, the group recorded its first single ‘Radio Free Europe’ in the summer of 1981.

Over the following years, R.E.M. became hugely popular with songs such as “The One I Love”, “It’s the End of the World as We Know It”, “Orange Crush”, “Stand,” and “Losing My Religion.” The group sold tens of millions of copies worldwide and won three Grammy Awards in 1992.

But Berry left the group in 1997 and R.E.M.’s success slowly faded away, although the remaining three band members continued to make songs. This year, R.E.M. released four new singles on the album “Collapse into Now”, but none of them made it to the charts.

On Wednesday, R.E.M. said the group would break up but did not say whether they would continue alone. “To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band,” the group said in a statement.

It added: “We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.”