Axl Rose

Axl Rose was born William Bruce Rose Jr. in Lafayette, Indiana, the eldest child of Sharon Elizabeth (née Lintner), then 16, and William Bruce Rose, age 20. His father has been described as "a troubled and charismatic local delinquent," and the pregnancy was unplanned. He has two younger siblings: a sister, Amy, and a half-brother, Stuart. Stuart Bailey later played guitar in several Los Angeles bands and worked as a music supervisor in Hollywood. Until age 17, Rose believed Bailey was his biological father. He never met William Rose Sr. as an adult; Rose Sr. was murdered in 1984 in Marion, Illinois, by a criminal acquaintance. Rose learned of the murder years later. Rose accused his stepfather of physically abusing the family and sexually abusing his sister. He later described the environment as oppressive, recalling: "We'd have televisions one week, then my stepdad would throw them out because they were Satanic... Women were evil. Everything was evil". Rose sang in the church choir from age five and performed with his siblings as the Bailey Trio. At Jefferson High School, he joined the chorus and studied piano. He later formed a band with friends, including Jeff Isbell (later Izzy Stradlin), and befriended future musicians Shannon Hoon (Blind Melon) and Paul Tobias, who would co-write songs with Rose and join Guns N' Roses in the mid-1990s. At 17, Rose discovered his birth name while reviewing insurance papers and began using W. Rose, avoiding "William" to distance himself from his biological father. After being threatened with habitual offender charges, he moved to Los Angeles in December 1982. == Career ==

1983–1986: early years Shortly after his arrival in Los Angeles, Rose met guitarist Kevin Lawrence outside The Troubadour in West Hollywood in March 1983 and joined his band Rapidfire. They recorded a five-song demo in May 1983 at Telstar Studios in Burbank, which, after years of legal action, was released as an EP, Ready to Rumble, in 2014. After parting ways with Lawrence, he formed the band Hollywood Rose with his childhood friend Izzy Stradlin, who had moved to Los Angeles in 1980, Hollywood Rose was originally named AXL. but journalist Rob Tannenbaum says it was suggested by friends.) In January 1984, Hollywood Rose recorded a five-song demo featuring the tracks "Anything Goes", "Rocker", "Shadow of Your Love", and "Reckless Life", which was released in 2004 as ''The Roots of Guns N' Roses''. Guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler, future members of Guns N' Roses, joined Hollywood Rose before the band's dissolution. Rose then joined L.A. Guns. By June, after several lineup changes, the band consisted of Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. The lineup debuted at The Troubadour and proceeded to play the L.A. club circuit, eventually building a devoted fan following. However, fueled by the band's relentless touring, a grassroots campaign for the "Welcome to the Jungle" music video, and the mainstream success of the single "Sweet Child o' Mine", the album rose to the No.1 position. To date, Appetite for Destruction has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, During the band's performance at the Monsters of Rock festival in Castle Donington, England, in August 1988, two fans were crushed to death when many in the crowd of 107,000 began slam-dancing to "It's So Easy". Rose had halted the show several times to calm the audience. In November 1988, Guns N' Roses released the stopgap album ''G N' R Lies'', which sold more than five million copies in the U.S. alone. in which Rose used the slurs "nigger" and "faggots". During the controversy, Rose defended his use of the racial slur by referencing the rap group N.W.A and the John Lennon song "Woman Is the Nigger of the World" saying, "it's a word to describe somebody that is basically a pain in your life, a problem. The word nigger doesn't necessarily mean black." MTV anchorman Kurt Loder described Rose as "maybe the finest hard rock singer currently on the scene, and certainly the most charismatic". 1990–1993: international success with Use Your Illusion In early 1990, Guns N' Roses returned to the studio to begin recording the full-length follow-up to Appetite for Destruction. Recording sessions initially proved unproductive due to Steven Adler's struggle with drug addiction, which made him unable to perform and caused sessions to be delayed for several days at a time. He was replaced by roadie Doug Goldstein, whom Izzy Stradlin described as "the guy who gets to go over to Axl's at six in the morning after he's smashed his $60,000 grand piano out of the picture window". in Tel Aviv, Israel, in May 1993 In September 1991, with enough material completed for two albums, Guns N' Roses released Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which debuted at No.2 and No.1 respectively on the Billboard 200, a feat not achieved by any other group. citing the riot and Rose's chronic lateness as examples, as well as his new-found sobriety making it difficult to be around other bandmates' continued alcohol and substance abuse. Prior to Guns N' Roses' appearance, Metallica's set was cut short after singer-guitarist James Hetfield suffered second-degree burns in a pyrotechnics accident. However, the shortened time between sets did not allow for adequate tuning of stage monitors, and the band members could not hear themselves. In addition, Rose claimed that his throat hurt, causing the band to collectively leave the stage early. The riot resulted in an estimated $400,000 in damages. In November of that year, Rose was convicted of property damage and assault in relation to the Riverport riot; he was fined $50,000 and received two years' probation. Guns N' Roses played its final show of the Use Your Illusion Tour on July 17, 1993, at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires; it proved to be Rose's last live performance with the band for seven and a half years. The following August, Rose testified in court against Steven Adler, who had filed a lawsuit contending that he had been illegitimately fired. When the judge ruled against Rose, he agreed to an out-of-court settlement of $2,500,000 and 15% of the royalties for everything Adler recorded prior to his departure. Controversy ensued, and the band subsequently pledged to donate any royalties to the son of one of Manson's victims. 1994–2000: hiatus Without consultation from his bandmates, Rose did not renew Gilby Clarke's contract with the band in June 1994, Tension between Rose and Slash reached a breaking point after the latter discovered that Rose had hired his childhood friend Paul "Huge" Tobias as Clarke's replacement. Roses' final public performance until 2001 was covering The Beatles song "Come Together" alongside Bruce Springsteen in January 1994 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. In August 1995, Rose legally left the band and created a new partnership under the band's name, a step he said he took "to salvage Guns not steal it". Rose reportedly purchased the full rights to the Guns N' Roses name in 1997. Slash claimed he and other bandmates signed away rights to the name before the July 5, 1993, show in Barcelona, Spain with Axl delivering an ultimatum: they had to sign the name over to him or he would not perform. (In 2008, however, Rose said Slash's claims were false and that the alleged coercion would have rendered the contract legally untenable.) Slash finally left Guns N' Roses in October 1996 due to his differences with Rose, while Matt Sorum was fired in June 1997 after an argument over Tobias's involvement in the band. Duff McKagan departed the band in August of that year, leaving Rose and Dizzy Reed as the only remaining band members of the Use Your Illusion era. Rose was said to spend his nights writing and rehearsing with the various new lineups of Guns N' Roses, working on the band's next album, Chinese Democracy. A surprise appearance at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards was followed by an incident in November when a riot erupted at Vancouver's General Motors Place after Rose failed to show up for a scheduled concert. When venue staff announced the cancellation, a riot broke out, resulting in an estimated $100,000 in damages. The riot led to the tour's cancelation by the promoter Clear Channel. After the promoter canceled the tour, Rose again withdrew from public view. During this time, he joined Slash and Duff McKagan in a lawsuit against Geffen Records in an unsuccessful attempt to block the release of the Greatest Hits compilation album, and lent his voice to the 2004 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, as the DJ for the radio station, K-DST. In a rare interview in January 2006, Rose said "People will hear music this year." While Guns N' Roses toured extensively throughout 2006 and 2007, with several guest appearances by Izzy Stradlin, Chinese Democracy again failed to materialize. As the band's lineup continued to evolve, his constant bandmates were guitarist Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman. Rose collaborated with his friend Sebastian Bach on his album Angel Down in 2007. Fifteen years after its last album, in November 2008, Guns N' Roses released Chinese Democracy. The protracted development of the album cost $13 million, making it the most expensive rock album of all time. It received generally favorable reviews but undersold industry expectations. Rose did not contribute to the album's promotion; by December, he had reportedly been missing for at least two months and had not returned phone calls or other requests from his record label. In a subsequent interview, Rose said he felt he had not received the necessary support from Interscope Records. A year after the album's release, in December 2009, Guns N' Roses embarked on another two and a half years of touring, including a headlining performance at Rock in Rio 4. 2012–present: Hall of Fame and regrouping; AC/DC in 2016 Together with the other members of Guns N' Roses' classic lineup, Rose was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, their first year of eligibility. He did not attend the induction ceremony in April, however, as he had announced in an open letter three days prior. Rose, who had long been on bad terms with several of his former bandmates, wrote that the ceremony "doesn't appear to be somewhere I'm actually wanted or respected". By mid-2014, the group's new album, recorded concurrently with Chinese Democracy, and a remix album were completed and pending release, but no new material emerged. (center) and Duff McKagan (right) performing with Guns N' Roses in 2018 Rose and Slash reunited for the Not in This Lifetime... Tour, one of the most-anticipated reunion tours in rock history. Rose shared a stage with Slash for the first time in nearly 23 years during the group's surprise performance at The Troubadour in April 2016, ahead of its headlining shows at Coachella. The tour was a massive success, and became the third highest-grossing concert tour of all time at the time of its conclusion. On April 16, 2016, Australian hard rock band AC/DC announced that Rose would be joining them and performing as the lead singer for the remainder of the band's Rock or Bust World Tour, after long-time lead vocalist Brian Johnson had to stop touring due to hearing problems. Subsequent reports indicated that guitarist Angus Young would be continuing the band with Rose as its official lead singer. This did not happen however; on September 30, 2020, AC/DC officially announced that Brian Johnson, along with Phil Rudd and Cliff Williams had returned to the band in 2018 and recorded an album, showing that Rose only stepped in to help finish the tour and that he was never brought in to replace Johnson. In 2018, Rose appeared in an episode of New Looney Tunes as himself, singing an original song "Rock the Rock". In 2021, Rose again appeared as himself in a cartoon, this time Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?. Rose and Guns N' Roses continued touring after the Not In This Lifetime... Tour, with the Guns N' Roses 2020 Tour. The group released two singles in 2021, "Absurd" and "Hard Skool", the first release of newly recorded material since 2008. Hard Skool was heavily praised in comparison to Absurd; both songs feature vocals recorded in 1999. In 2023, Rose and the band would release the two singles "Perhaps" and "The General", the latter having a music video uploaded to YouTube on January 24. In addition, they performed live in Indio, California at Coachella in October as part of the 2023 tour and had their first headlining slot at Glastonbury Festival. The band continued touring in 2025. In September 2025, Sumerian Comics announced Rose will be co-writing a new graphic novel alongside Nathan Yocum titled Axl Rose: Appetite For Destruction. The co-author described it as a "raw, neon-noir fever dream, part rock anthem, part cyberpunk prophecy". In December 2025, Rose and the band would release two singles, "Nothin'" and "Atlas" to promote a 2026 World Tour. == Artistry ==

Influences An early influence on Rose was Dan McCafferty of Nazareth. He stated in a 1988 interview, "If it wasn't for Dan McCafferty and Nazareth I wouldn't be singing. I used to lock myself in the bathroom and try to hit those notes in "Love Hurts", ya know?". Rose was also influenced by Hanoi Rocks, Queen, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, the Who, Cheap Trick (particularly the live album Cheap Trick at Budokan), Judas Priest (Unleashed in the East), T. Rex, the Sex Pistols, Black Sabbath, and Nirvana. Rose's orchestral-style songwriting on the Illusion albums was influenced by the Electric Light Orchestra, Elton John, and Queen, particularly their album Queen II. Rose cited the Rolling Stones songs "Far Away Eyes" and "Miss You" as favorites. In the early 90's, Rose became a fan of electronica and industrial music, particularly the works of Nine Inch Nails, influencing Rose during the development of Chinese Democracy. He also cited the U2 and Brian Eno collaboration Original Soundtracks 1 as a major influence. In a 2016 interview, Rose cited Freddie Mercury, Elvis Presley, Paul McCartney, Dan McCafferty, Janis Joplin, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Don Henley, Jeff Lynne, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Scott, Etta James, Fiona Apple, Chrissie Hynde, Stevie Wonder, and James Brown as among his favorite singers. Voice Rose's voice type is bass-baritone. A study of the vocal ranges on studio recordings of singers included on Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Singers of All-Time" list concluded Rose had the widest vocal range, ranging five octaves from F1 to B6. == Personal life ==

" at Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England, in May 2012 During his late teens, Rose was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a psychiatrist interpreted his delinquent behavior as evidence of psychosis. The same evaluation noted his high IQ. Rose later questioned the diagnosis, stating in an interview that it was based solely on a standardized test: "All of a sudden I'm diagnosed manic-depressive... The medication doesn't help me deal with stress. The only thing it does is help keep people off my back". In 1986, he intentionally overdosed on painkillers during a period of stress, later recalling: "I just grabbed the bottle of pills in an argument and just gulped them down... I ended up in the hospital." The experience inspired the lyrics to "Coma". In the early 1990s, Rose embraced homeopathic medicine and began undergoing past life regression therapy. "When they talk about Axl Rose being a screaming two-year-old, they're right". and during the Chinese Democracy sessions, employed a psychic to evaluate potential hires by reading their auras. Responding to criticism of misogynistic lyrics, Rose acknowledged deep-seated resentment toward women rooted in childhood experiences. but Rose filed for divorce less than a month later. They chose ‌Shiloh Blue for a boy, Willow Amelia for a ‌but she miscarried in October 1990, which deeply affected Rose. and in 2012, he befriended Lana Del Rey. He was also close with Lisa Marie Presley and performed "November Rain" at her memorial service in 2023. Rose's friendship with Slash deteriorated after Slash left Guns N' Roses in 1996. In 2006, Rose claimed Slash had shown up uninvited the previous year to offer a truce. In 2009, Rose referred to him as "a cancer." By August 2015, Slash stated they had reconciled, later explaining: "We had a lot of issues born out of third-party stuff[...] the longer we didn't talk, the more it got blown out of proportion". Beta Lebeis and Team Brazil In the mid-to-late 1990s, Rose grew close to his assistant Beta Lebeis, describing her as a maternal figure. Lebeis said, "According to him, I am the mother he never had". They first met in 1991 while she was babysitting Seymour's son. By the late 2000s, Beta and her son Fernando became the de facto managers of Guns N' Roses under the name "Team Brazil", following issues with previous management. At Rock in Rio III in 2001, Rose publicly thanked Beta and her family: "I've been taken care of for the last seven years by a Brazilian family[...] She has been a mother to me, to my manager, to my other assistants and anyone in the band who ever needed her". Politics On April 28, 2015, Rose sent a letter to Indonesian President Joko Widodo urging the removal of the death penalty option in the Bali Nine case on humanitarian grounds. Following the execution of two individuals, Rose publicly criticized Widodo for "ignoring the international outcry". Rose has frequently used Twitter to voice political opinions, including criticism of figures in the Trump administration, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. On May 7, 2020, he condemned Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting a direct response from Mnuchin. Guns N' Roses later released a T-shirt satirizing the administration's pandemic response. ==Legal issues==

As a teenager in Indiana, Rose was arrested more than 20 times. In November 1987, Rose was arrested onstage after assaulting a security guard during a concert. He was held backstage and offered release if he apologized, but refused and was taken into custody. In 1990, Rose was charged with assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly striking his neighbor with an empty wine bottle. He claimed the neighbor had swung a bottle at him first, following repeated disputes over loud music. In 1992, Rose was arrested for his role in the Riverport Riot, which occurred the previous year when he abruptly ended a concert near St. Louis. He was found guilty of property damage and assault, fined $50,000, and sentenced to two years' probation. In 1998, Rose was arrested at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, Arizona for threatening a security guard during a luggage search. His publicist described the event as a misunderstanding, saying Rose was trying to protect a fragile memento. He was deemed too intoxicated to be questioned immediately and was later fined $5,500 and ordered to pay $1,360 in damages. Rape charge and assault allegations In 1985, Rose and Slash were charged with felony statutory rape following allegations that Rose had engaged in sexual activity with 15-year-old Michelle Rhoades. Slash referenced the incident in his memoir, describing a woman who "freaked out intensely" after being with Rose. She alleged that during a visit to a studio, she was assaulted by Rose and others present, and later left the location without clothing. Seymour filed a counterclaim citing assault and battery. Both suits were settled out of court. In 1994, Rose's ex-wife Erin Everly filed a civil suit alleging physical and emotional abuse during their relationship, which was also settled privately. On November 22, 2023, Rose was sued by actress Sheila Kennedy under New York's Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily extended the statute of limitations for sexual assault claims. Kennedy alleged an incident occurred in 1989 and had previously referenced it in her memoir and a documentary. Rose denied the allegations, stating he had no recollection of meeting Kennedy. His legal team filed to dismiss the suit in February 2024. The case was privately settled with prejudice in December 2024, with Rose reiterating his denial: "As I have said from the beginning, I deny the allegations. There was no assault". Lawsuits In 1992, an audience member involved in the Riverport Riot sued Rose for $210,000 in damages. The case was settled out of court for $160,000. In 2004, Rose unsuccessfully attempted to block the release of ''The Roots of Guns N' Roses'', a compilation of early Hollywood Rose recordings. In 2006, Slash and McKagan sued Rose over publishing and songwriting credits, which Rose attributed to a clerical error during a publisher transition. In 2010, Rose was sued by a rental company for returning a leased car in damaged condition and failing to make payments dating back to 2005. That same year, former manager Irving Azoff filed a lawsuit seeking $1.87 million in unpaid touring fees. Rose countersued, alleging mismanagement and intentional sabotage of album sales to pressure a reunion with former bandmates. Both suits were settled. Rose later stated the settlement required Guns N' Roses to perform a number of shows promoted by Azoff's company, Live Nation. Azoff denied pressuring Rose to reunite with the old lineup. In November 2010, Rose sued Activision for $20million, claiming the company violated an agreement by featuring Slash and Velvet Revolver imagery in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock despite licensing "Welcome to the Jungle". The lawsuit was dismissed in 2013 due to the statute of limitations and reliance on oral agreements. Rose faced additional lawsuits related to concert incidents. In 2013, a man sued after being struck by a microphone at an Australian show, resulting in dental injuries. In 2022, another individual filed suit over injuries from a mic stand thrown during a 2021 concert in Pennsylvania. Following a third incident that year, Rose announced he would stop throwing objects into the crowd. In 2014, Rose threatened legal action over the release of recordings from Rapidfire, his pre-Hollywood Rose band, temporarily blocking their availability on digital platforms. In 2016, Rose issued DMCA takedown requests to Google in an attempt to suppress a widely circulated image taken in 2010 published under the headline "OMFG Axl Rose is Fat", which led to a Streisand effect. Later that year, former Guns N' Roses keyboardist Chris Pitman sued Rose for $125,000 in unpaid wages. The case was settled in November 2016. In 2022, Rose filed a trademark lawsuit against a weapons dealer operating under the name "Texas Guns and Roses", citing reputational harm. ==Discography==

With Guns N' Roses • Appetite for Destruction (1987) • ''G N' R Lies'' (1988) • Use Your Illusion I (1991) • Use Your Illusion II (1991) • "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993) • Chinese Democracy (2008) With Hollywood Rose • ''The Roots of Guns N' Roses'' (2004) With Rapidfire • Ready to Rumble EP (2014) As featured artist As session musician or writer • The End of the Innocence by Don Henley (1989; "I Will Not Go Quietly") ==Other work==

• New Looney Tunes (2018, "Rock the Rock") == Filmography ==