20 musicians who walked away at the top—and what they did instead

Many of us have stood in front of a mirror, hairbrush in hand, imagining what it might be like to perform for a crowd of adoring fans. To some, being a pop or rock star is the ultimate dream, something to muse about at your 9-5 job. It might seem strange, then, why so many successful musicians have traded in the music limelight and lifestyle for total privacy or pivoted their careers entirely.

20 successful musicians who retired early

Look a little closer at the brutality of the music industry, and you might find it easier to sympathize with the musicians who chose to leave it all behind. Some, like Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett, retired at their prime due to the pressures of the spotlight; others, like Phil Collins, who performed his last show with Genesis in March 2022, were forced to end their careers due toongoing health concerns.

Of course, retirement isn't always the last word. In February 2025, Paul Simon announced that he would bereuniting forlive concertswith a smaller, more intimate "Quiet Celebrations Tour," which began in April. Elton John, who said he would never tour again after his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road" tour ended in July 2023,performed live at a benefit concertin May 2025. And then there are artists who remain strong after decades in the spotlight. In a 2015 interview, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger said he wasn'tthinking about retirement, and 10 years later, it looks like it still hasn't crossed his mind. In fact, the bandwon a Grammy Award for Best Rock Albumat the February 2025 ceremony, and they've got anew album coming out in 2026.

All that being said, plenty of successful musicians do hang up the towel and mean it. In May 2025, country legend Alan Jackson announced hisretirement from touringamid ongoing health issues. More recently, in September 2025, health problems forced rocker Dave Mason of the band Traffic to announce that he'dno longer be touringeither. Music takes its toll over the decades, and with that in mind, it's worth honoring and remembering the artists who truly walked away from it all.Stackerdove into music history to spotlight 20 musicians who retired early, fell in love with another line of work, or simply no longer wanted to play the game.

Each artist had to quit music entirely and change their career to qualify for this list. Artists and acts like Billy Joel, who has yet to release new albums but tours regularly, were excluded because music remains their primary career. Seeing as only a few artists who step away ever stay off the stage for good, occasional special appearances didn't disqualify musicians from making the list.

Neil Peart

Often considered one of the most virtuosic drummers in rock history, Neil Peart gave the prog-rock band Rush a distinctive and pummeling edge. Peart was also responsible for many of the band's highfalutin and philosophicallyrics. Rush played its last show together in 2015 before it was revealed in the band's documentary, "Time Stand Still," that Peart had been suffering immense pain and had to retire consequently.

Linda Ronstadt

In acareerthat spanned 40 years and was littered with a dozen platinum records and 10 Grammys, the singing finally came to an end in 2009, when Linda Ronstadt played her final show. In 2019, the documentary "Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice" told the story of why she left. Speaking directly to the camera, Ronstadt revealed she had Parkinson's disease, which sadly robbed her of her vocal ability.

Phil Collins

Phil Collins, Genesis' drummer and the hitmaker behind "In the Air Tonight," began experiencing health-related concerns in 2009 afterinjuringthe vertebrae in his upper neck. Following a 14-year live hiatus, he joined Genesis in the fall of 2022 for its last show. Despite his visible frailty, Collins sat center stage, joking that he'd need to find a "real job" after the band's dissolution.

In a February 2025 interview with MOJO, Collins gave asad updateon making music again. "I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens," he said. "But I'm not hungry for it anymore. The thing is, I've been sick, I mean very sick."

Alice Nutter

Alice Nutter, perhaps best known as the operatic singer on Chumbawamba's one-hit-wonder "Tubthumping," ultimately left her musical days behind her after a 23-yearcareerto pursue writing full-time. Now in her early 60s, Nutter writes for thestage and screen. Her most recent credit is the 2023TV adaptation of "The Full Monty,"which she co-created and co-wrote.

Captain Beefheart

Don Van Vliet, better known as Captain Beefheart, set a new template for avant-garde rock in the 1960s. By the decade's end, he had released the influential double LP "Trout Mask Replica," often considered his magnum opus. Following a slew of releases, Beefheart retired from music in 1982, disappearing from public life and into the Mojave Desert, where he spent the rest of his life painting and making visual art.

Jeff Mangum

After releasing1998's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea," one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1990s, Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Mangum seemed to fall off the face of the Earth. Alongside the band, Mangum seemed content to depart from music and public life after only releasing two albums. In 2013, however, Neutral Milk Hotelreunited for a tourand spent two years on the road. It looked like the group might be back for good, but the pull of retirement must have been too strong for Mangum and his bandmates. In 2015, Neutral Milk Hotel announced that their spring shows would be "ourlast tour for the foreseeable future." Over ten years later, neither Mangum nor the group as a whole have performed again or released any new music.

Grace Slick

As lead vocalist of Jefferson Airplane, Grace Slick was one of the most prominent figures of the 1960s psychedelic rock movement. The band's1967album "Surrealistic Pillow" achieved great commercial success, making them one of the first Bay Area bands to receive worldwide recognition. Slick departed shortly after, revealing that herageled her to quit rock 'n' roll.

Bill Withers

A great many musicians threaten retirement throughout their careers. But rarely do any of them follow through on that promise. Unfortunately, that was the case with Bill Withers, the soul singer who produced many timeless hits during his short-lived career. Tired of touring and of his fraught relationship with his record company, Withers retired in the mid-'80s, and nothing seemed to lure him back into the limelight.

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Willa Ford

Willa Ford rose to fame at the start of the 2000s alongside Britney Spears and a boom of women pop stars. Ford's hit "I Wanna Be Bad" shot to the top of the charts in May 2001. But her follow-up singles didn't do quite so well. Ultimately, Ford traded in the microphone and stage for interior design. In 2012, she birthed her own firm,W Ford Interiors.

In June 2024, Ford said she would be releasing new music, and in October 2025, she finally dropped her new single "Burn Burn," marking her return to music after more than 20 years. Her new album, "amanda," was released in March 2026.

Kate Bush

Throughout Kate Bush's stretch from her 1978 debut "The Kick Inside" to 2011's "50 Words for Snow," the mystical singer only embarked onone tour. Following years of silence, Bush played a series of shows in London in 2014, singing songs from throughout her career. Bush, who has developed a reclusive reputation, reemerged briefly in 2022 with words ofgratitudewhen her 1985 track "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" became one of the biggest tracks of the year, thanks to its inclusion in the fourth season of "Stranger Things." Bush was also inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2023, though shedeclined to attend the ceremony.

Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett, the frontman and creative mastermind behind Pink Floyd, immediately seemed ill-equipped to deal with the fanfare of fame. Saddled with addiction, Barrett departed from Pink Floyd in1968and went on to live most of his life in relative seclusion. At 60, Barrett died of cancer, leaving behind a formidable legacy despite only a brief stint in the limelight.

John Deacon

John Deacon was a relative late-comer to Queen, joining the band in1971, just a year after frontman Freddie Mercury's enlistment. Responsible for hits like "Another One Bites the Dust," Deacon became integral to the band before his retirement in the early '90s, which came soon after Mercury's death in 1991.

Cindy Birdsong

Cindy Birdsong began her musical career as one part of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles before gaining greater notoriety in1967when she joined the Supremes. The trio achieved stratospheric success, but that didn't stop Birdsong from leaving the group (twice) in the1970s. Birdsong's dream had always been to become a nurse, which she did soon after retiring from music.

Russell Senior

The wry alternative rock band Pulp put Sheffield back on the musical map toward the end of the 1980s. Sharing the stage with frontman Jarvis Cocker, the band's violinist, Russell Senior, lent the band an eccentric edge. After13 yearsin the band, Senior left Pulp in 1997 and later embarked on a career as anantique dealer.

Jim Martin

Right after the heavy metal band Faith No More released its album "Angel Dust" to critical and commercial applause, Jim Martin, the band's guitarist, left the group just at the peak of its success. After 15 years of relative silence, Martin answered a series of fan questions for a U.K.-basedblogand explained that his departure was due to no longer aligning with the band's musical direction.

Jason Schwartzman

While you probably know him best as the indie actor in films like "Rushmore," Jason Schwartzman first earned his name as the drummer forPhantom Planet, the band behind the iconic theme song of "The O.C." He's also written music for the screen, including the theme for HBO's "Bored to Death," but with little musical output since. It may be safe to assume that Schwartzman has ultimately traded in music for acting.

Dave Rowntree

His music has beenplayedon both the Glastonbury main stage and on a spaceship to Mars, but Blur's drummer, Dave Rowntree, has taken a few career u-turns away from music since. In 2009, he trained as a solicitor. In 2010, he became a campaigner for the Labor party. Later, he explained that those decisions were basically "a mid-life crisis." Now, Rowntree works as a composer, and in September 2025, he published "No One You Know– Early Blur," a book of photos from Blur's earliest days.

Meg White

As one half of the White Stripes, the band she co-founded withthen-husband Jack White, Meg White saw tremendous success with breakthrough singles like "Seven Nation Army" and "Fell in Love With a Girl." But following a lengthy hiatus, the White Stripes officiallyconfirmed their splitin February 2011. While Jack has continued performing, dropping his most recentsolo albumin 2024, Meg stepped away from the spotlight completely. In June 2023, a writer for ELLE documented her attempts to secure aninterview with Meg, but she was only able to to communicate with Meg's friend. "She spent 15 years traveling and touring and playing," the friend said. "It's not that odd to think that she just likes to be home."

When the White Stripes were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November 2025, Megdid not appear at the ceremony, but Jack shared a message on her behalf. "I spoke with Meg White the other day, and she said that she's very sorry she couldn't make it here tonight, but she wanted me to tell you that she's very grateful," he said. "And to all of the folks who supported her in all the years, it really means a lot to her."

Henry Rollins

As a musician, Henry Rollins may be best known as frontman of the hardcore band Black Flag from 1981 until the group disbanded in 1986. Rollins continued on with the Rollins Band, and also as a spoken-word artist. Over the years, Rollins has become recognized as an activist and for his TV appearances, but he's stepped away from music. In a2016 interview, he said, "For me, music was a time and a place. I never really enjoyed being in a band. It was in me and it needed to come out, like a 25-year exorcism. One day, I woke up, and I didn't have any more lyrics." More recently, in October 2024, Rollins confirmed that he wasretired from music. "I'm smart enough to not come back for the encore," he shared.

Linn Berggren

All '90s kids remember Ace of Base hits like "All That She Wants" and "The Sign." The Swedish group, formed by siblings Jonas, Jenny, and Linn Berggrenn with Ulf Ekberg, has never disbanded, but theystopped performing togetherin the early 2000s. While most members went on to make music, Linn Berggren stepped away from the industry completely. In a 2015 ABC News catch-up with band members, Ekberg confirmed that Linn wouldnever return to Ace of Base. "She left the band and we promised her to never even ask to come back," he revealed. "She's done with [the] entertainment industry. It's understandable. It's brutal from the inside, it was not for her. She has no craving to be famous, she loved her fans, but the fame factor was not for her."

Kevin Moore

A former member of the band Dream Theater and the founder of the Chroma Key music project, Kevin Moore had an unconventional music career before leaving it behind. In a 2013interview with Fates Warning— a band whose albums Moore had collaborated on — vocalist Ray Alder said "good luck finding" Moore, before revealing that he was in his third year of medical school. Yes, Moore became a doctor. Since 2020, he's been apsychiatrist at Trinity Healthin Minot, North Dakota.

byDaniel Coleman

in

April 03, 2026

20 musicians who walked away at the top—and what they did instead

Many of us have stood in front of a mirror, hairbrush in hand, imagining what it might be like to perform for a crowd of ...

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Women take pride in Holy Week roles after a Spanish Catholic brotherhood's procession excluded them

MONTORO, Spain (AP) — One religious brotherhood's refusal to include women in itsHoly Weekprocession has made front-page news in Spain, whose Easter-time festivities dating back centuries are among the most fervently celebrated in the world.

Spain-Holy Week-Women

The exclusion is the exception in the Catholic processions that have been unfolding across the country. They vary from hourslong versions that attract tens of thousands of faithful and tourists in major cities likeSevilleto village affairs that speak more intimately to family and tradition.

There was indignation at the controversy unfolding in Sagunto, where a majority of the Puríssima Sang de Nostre Senyor Jesucrist brotherhood's members voted to exclude women and said their decision was based on "respect for tradition." The news triggered protests from the government as well as in the streets.

Holy Week processions in Spain are elaborate affairs that take months to prepare, peaking in the early hours ofGood Friday, one of the most solemn days.

Brotherhoods organize the groups that for hours carry the heavy floats with statues, sometimes up to half a dozen of them representing scenes from the Gospels' accounts of Jesus' passion and death, like Judas' betraying kiss onthe Mount of Olives.

Women are sometimes "portadoras," carrying the floats on their shoulders.

In Baena, a hilltop hamlet of whitewashed homes among Andalusia's olive groves, eyelashes lushly covered in mascara were seen through the purple hoods of women carrying a flower-decked float with a statue of Jesus in prayer.

In Montoro, another village in the same province of Córdoba, a member of a local brotherhood said men and women should have equal roles, especially since the sacred images carried in procession include both the Virgin Mary and Jesus.

"In my house I have three daughters, with my wife that's four, and with me we're five — and the whole family takes part," added Ricardo Ruano, who on Holy Thursday was a "costalero," one of the robed people carrying large floats on the base of their neck. "We wait for this the whole year, because it's our favorite."

Several "portadoras" in Montoro said they were indignant at the controversy in Sagunto.

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"We as women have the same right as a man to go out in the procession," said one, Rosa de la Cruz. "We don't go in a procession so that people look at us, we participate so that they see the image."

Many in the village devoted their Holy Week prayers to the victims of adevastating train accidentoutside a nearby town that killed nearly four dozen people in January.

Even as Spain, like most of Europe, isincreasingly secular, interest keeps growing in participating in procession roles, said Juan Carlos González Faraco, a University of Huelva professor. He has studied religious traditions in Andalusia, including theEl Rocío pilgrimageat the end of the Easter season.

Historically male, brotherhoods have been including women in both leadership and processional roles for decades, he added. That's especially true in the lines of often hooded "penitents" who march alongside the floats, though some of the heaviest floats are still carried only by men.

In Montoro, Mari Carmen Lopez said physical strength might vary, but men and women share the same feeling.

"We go with faith, with devotion, with all our hearts," she said as her brotherhood's float made its way through the village's uphill alleys. Men who disregard that, she added, "don't realize they were born of a woman."

Dell'Orto reported from Miami.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP'scollaborationwith The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

byDaniel Coleman

in

April 03, 2026

Women take pride in Holy Week roles after a Spanish Catholic brotherhood's procession excluded them

MONTORO, Spain (AP) — One religious brotherhood's refusal to include women in itsHoly Weekprocession has made front-p...

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The white shark forecast is in. Expect more in SoCal this summer

Southern California already has plenty ofwhite sharksinhabiting its waters, but a brewingEl Niñomay only increase the population of these large predators — and bring with it other aquatic visitors.

Chris Lowe, a professor of marine biology who heads the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, shared an unusual observation this winter: the presence of baby white sharks as early as February. He said they're generally not seen until April.

"The reason for that, we think, is the water off Southern California is unusually warm right now," Lowe said. "So, we're experiencing a marine heat wave, even though it's not even summer yet."

Female white sharks are believed to be using temperature as a cue to let them know it's time to give birth, he said.

"It could be that if a female's eating really well and she's been in warm water, she may be able to produce a litter of pups faster," Lowe said. "But what's unusual is seeing pups that early in the year. So that would suggest that females are coming back earlier than they normally would."

Also, their litter is hanging out at Southern California beaches in part because of the warmer water which "kind of reminds them of mom," the Shark Lab director said.

Now take into consideration that forecasters expect an El Niño — a phase of a natural climate phenomenon that warms up the ocean surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean — to develop late this year. It's one thatcould be strong.

Scientists have discovered more than 900 species of sharks and rays and related species

That could impact white sharks, too.

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As El Niño conditions emerge around the summertime, per the Climate Prediction Center'sforecast in March, so might Southern Californians start to see more white sharks come our way.

The Shark Lab director pointed to an observation from about a decade ago when an El Niño coincided witha major marine heatwave, resulting in Southern California experiencing a big influx of white sharks that'd been driven north by ocean water believed to have gotten too warm for them further south.

This is what Lowe anticipates happening again this year. His prediction is that around July is when we'll see a bigger influx of sharks.

However, Southern California could get some other visitors, too, Lowe said, pointing to other instances that occurred during "strong" El Niños.

"During El Niños, we've had tiger sharks come into Southern California. We've had bull sharks come into Southern California," Lowe said. "So, depending on how warm and how early, we could have species that we don't normally see here."

On March 26, Newport Beach Fire Department lifeguards confirmed the sighting of a white shark. Also making headlines early April arereportsof a juvenile white shark that got caught on a fishing line at Hermosa Beach.

"You should always assume there are white sharks in the water when you go to the beaches in California because that's the new norm," Lowe said. "And it's been the new norm for about the last 10 years. The population is increasing, mainly because they were protected (in) 1994. So, as a result, we're seeing more sharks, but also climate plays into this."

Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her atpbarraza@usatodayco.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:SoCal beachgoers, you may see more sharks in 2026

byDaniel Coleman

in

April 03, 2026

The white shark forecast is in. Expect more in SoCal this summer

Southern California already has plenty ofwhite sharksinhabiting its waters, but a brewingEl Niñomay only increase the pop...

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UK charges three men with arson over attack on Jewish community ambulances

April 3 (Reuters) - British prosecutors said on Friday ‌that they have ‌charged three men in ​connection with an arson attack last month on Jewish community ambulances ‌in north ⁠London.

The three men have been charged ⁠with arson with intent to damage property ​and being ​reckless ​as to ‌whether life would be endangered, the prosecutors said.

The Metropolitan Police said separately that, at this ‌stage, the ​incident has not ​been ​declared as ‌terrorism, but due to ​the ​circumstances of the incident the investigation is ​being ‌led by counter-terrorism officers.

(Reporting ​by Akanksha Khushi ​in Bengaluru)

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byDaniel Coleman

in

April 03, 2026

UK charges three men with arson over attack on Jewish community ambulances

April 3 (Reuters) - British prosecutors said on Friday ‌that they have ‌charged three men in ​connection with an arson at...

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Kim Zolciak Ordered to Attend 4 'Parent Therapy' Sessions amid Ongoing Custody Battle with Kroy Biermann

Kim Zolciak was ordered to attend four sessions of "parent therapy" between April 3, 2026, and April 13, 2026, per court documents obtained by PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum's children are to remain in Biermann's custody until she completes all four sessions, a judge ordered

• The former couple share children Kroy "KJ" Jagger Jr., 14, Kash Kade, 13, and twins Kaia Rose and Kane Ren, 12

Kim Zolciakhas been ordered to attend "parent therapy" sessions amid her ongoing custody dispute with exKroy Biermann.

In a temporary parenting plan obtained by PEOPLE on Friday, April 3, Cobb County Superior Court Judge Kellie S. Hill ordered Zolciak, 47, to complete all four sessions between April 3 and Monday, April 13, while her and Biermann's children are out of school. "All four children shall remain in the Father's physical custody" during that time, the judge ordered, per the parenting plan.

The Real Housewives of Atlantaalum and Biermann, 40, share four children: Kroy "KJ" Jagger Jr., 14, Kash Kade, 13, and twins Kaia Rose and Kane Ren, 12.

The Guardian ad Litem (GAL) is then required to "independently verify" that Zolciak attended the therapy sessions, per the document. PEOPLE has reached out to the court-appointed GAL for comment.

"Once Mother completes her four (4) sessions as required, the parties shall resume operation under the existing Court Ordered Parenting Plan, which otherwise remains in full force and effect until further agreement and/or modification by this Court," the order reads.

In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Zolciak says she signed a temporary custody order at the end of January that orders her and Biermann to complete two counseling sessions per month for two months, and then one session a month after that. She notes that she was unable to attend previous sessions from Feb. 26 through March 28 due to "contractual filming obligations" out of the country.

She says that Bierman has their four children the upcoming week for their spring break, which was previously "his designated parenting time under the existing agreement," and she will complete her counseling sessions during that time.

"For the avoidance of any doubt, I have not lost custody of my children, nor has there been any modification to the custody agreement outside of the agreed-upon temporary order," Zolciak says.

PEOPLE has reached out to reps for Biermann.

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The week prior, Biermann and Zolciak entered into a temporary parenting plan where KJ and Kash would remain in Zolciak's physical custody, and Kaia and Kane would remain in Biermann's physical custody. That plan was entered by the court on March 3 and went into effect the week of March 30, per the order.

The latest development comes days afterBiermann filed for sole custodyof the former couple's four children, claiming that she has been "wholly unavailable" to them.

In court documents previously obtained by PEOPLE, the former professional football player filed an order for immediate change in custody to obtain sole custody, as well as all decision-making authority, for all four children.

Biermann claimed that Zolciak entered their temporary mediated parenting plan in "bad faith," alleging that she knew she couldn't adhere to the terms of the agreement. He claimed she "almost immediately" left the country for extended periods, making her "wholly unavailable to parent the children in any fashion" under their agreed-upon parenting plan.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

He added in the documents that she was out of the country from Feb. 26 to March 29, albeit one night on March 9, and missed numerous weekly family therapy sessions.

In April 2023, after about 12 years of marriage,Zolciak and Biermann filed for divorce for the first time. However, in July 2023, a source told PEOPLE that the couplecalled off the divorceand were "trying to make it work for the kids." In August 2023, Biermannfiled for divorce for a second time.

Biermann then filed forsole legal and physical custodyin May 2023, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE at the time.TMZwas first to report the news.

Read the original article onPeople

byDaniel Coleman

in

April 03, 2026

Kim Zolciak Ordered to Attend 4 'Parent Therapy' Sessions amid Ongoing Custody Battle with Kroy Biermann

Kim Zolciak was ordered to attend four sessions of "parent therapy" between April 3, 2026, and April 13, 2026, ...

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