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We were a little late the party on this story, not even close to being the first to report this. Yet we also know that some of you trust us to bring you the latest news regarding your favorite artists. We have both good news and bad for you from Coheed & Cambria. In a very unfortunate series of events, long time bass player and member of Coheed Michael Todd has left the band.

According to their Tumblr blog in a post simply called “The Future”, this is the result of a mutual decision between him and the group. This stems from his arrest for armed robbery of a pharmacy at the beginning of July. On July 10th, before opening up for Soundgarden in Mansfield, Massachusetts, Michael went into a local Walgreens. He was claiming he had a bomb, then left by taxi with six bottles of oxicodone. He was then arrested and released on bail.

Initially a guitar player, Michael is not an original founding member of the mega popular and highly successful prog rock group, but might as well have been. The band got started in 1995 and he joined soon after in 1996. He briefly left the band for about 9 months from 2006-2007, for rehab and personal issues.

How did Coheed respond to this?

“After a lot of thought, introspection and discussion, Coheed and Cambria will be continuing our journey without bassist Michael Todd. We have spoken to him and this is a mutual decision between both parties. Michael was a great contributor; our hearts go out to his family and to all those who appreciate his talents. We wish him nothing but the very best.

We are currently writing and recording songs for a new album, as well as a couple compilations this fall. We are very excited about how the songs are shaping up and can’t wait to share them with you.

We’d like to thank Wes Styles for filling in for the live gigs in the interim, including the upcoming South America and Mexico shows. A belated thanks to Rob Gill for covering in Boston; and the biggest thank you to all of you for your unwavering support. A new chapter awaits. Love, Coheed and Cambria.”

We hope to reach out to the band regarding their future, of course we will update you here as more happens. And we wish nothing but the best to both them and Michael Todd. Coheed has some of the most loyal and dedicated fans in the world, you would be hard pressed finding another band with more. Here is some live HD video we recorded earlier this year, featuring Michael: