Journey Drummer Deen Castronovo Exits Mid-Tour to Focus on His Health

Journey drummer Deen Castronovo is stepping away from the band’s farewell tour to deal with his health, the group announced Friday (Nov. 13).

“After careful consideration and an extensive year of touring, our talented, longtime drummer Deen Castronovo has decided to step away to focus on personal health matters that require his attention,” the band said in a statement. “He has our full support during this time and extends his heartfelt thanks to the fans for the love, encouragement, and kindness he has received.”

Steve Murphy will take over for the remainder of November. The New York drummer has previously worked with the Alan Parsons Project, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Christopher Cross and Jack Bruce.

The announcement follows a scare last month, when Castronovo was helped offstage and taken to hospital after two songs at Tulsa’s BOK Center on Oct. 8. He returned two nights later for a full show in San Antonio, and guitarist Neal Schon said at the time that he was “back in rare form.” Neither the band nor Castronovo has disclosed details of the illness.

Castronovo, 62, first joined Journey in 1998, replacing Steve Smith, and played on five albums before leaving in 2015. He returned in 2021, initially alongside Narada Michael Walden, and became the sole drummer after Walden’s 2022 departure. He also sings, occasionally taking lead vocals, and has played with Bad English, Hardline and Ozzy Osbourne.

His exit comes near the end of a long year on the road. The Final Frontier tour, promoted by AEG Presents, launched Feb. 28 in Hershey, Pa., with an initial 60 North American dates, before the band added 40 more for the fall. The current leg began Sept. 12 in Los Angeles. Keyboardist Jonathan Cain has said the run marks his own farewell chapter with the band, which also features founder Neal Schon, singer Arnel Pineda, keyboardist Jason Derlatka and bassist Todd Jensen.

The tour continues Saturday (Nov. 14) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., and wraps Nov. 28 at San Francisco’s Chase Center.

Journey’s commercial peak came with 1981’s Escape, the band’s only No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. It produced four Hot 100 hits, including “Open Arms,” their highest-charting single at No. 2, “Who’s Crying Now” at No. 4 and “Don’t Stop Believin’” at No. 9 — a song that long outlasted its chart run to become the band’s signature.