CurveHouse.com

Rolling Stone can confirm that Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has entered a rehab facility to treat an addiction to prescription painkillers. “With the help of my family and team of medical professionals I am taking responsibility for the management of my pain and am eager to be back on the stage and in the recording studio with my bandmates Joe Perry, Joey Kramer, Tom Hamilton and Brad Whitford,” the singer said in a statement.

Tyler also addressed, in an exclusive statement to Rolling Stone, his bandmates’ recent allegations that he demanded a two-year break from the group. “I wish to set the record straight and say that I have read reports of a rumored two-year hiatus and want to be clear that this is completely false and I will enthusiastically be writing, recording and performing with Aerosmith as soon as things are handled,” Tyler said.

Tyler’s daughter Liv also issued a statement expressing her support for her father. “He is a courageous man,” she said. “We love him and are so proud that he is getting help to balance his pain management, not just for himself but for his family, friends and fans.”

The physician treating Tyler at the New England Baptist Hospital, Dr. Brian McKeon, noted that Tyler’s addiction stems from difficulties with pain management. “Over the past 10 years, Steven Tyler has suffered orthopedic injuries and has been in severe chronic pain which will require further surgeries on his knees and feet,” McKeon said. “Managing and controlling his pain has been challenging and despite our use of alternative therapies and the creation of custom shoes built by a team of engineers from Timberland, Steven’s pain has progressed. The balance between managing his pain and avoiding addiction is tenuous and difficult and his bravery in persevering through rigorous touring is admirable. As with many athletes, Steven put his performance first as he struggled with acute pain for years.”

Photograph by Frank White

Last week, Steven Tyler surprised Joe Perry at a New York solo gig and announced onstage he wasn’t quitting Aerosmith. In new interviews with Rolling Stone, members of the group say that they not only still plan on hiring a new singer — but they are concerned that Tyler may have returned to some of his bad habits. “He doesn’t act like a sober person,” says Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford. “I’m not hanging with the guy, but his history of drug abuse is well documented. And like many other people in this same position, the prospects aren’t good. For most people, full blown recovery is a tough thing to pull off.”

Drummer Joey Kramer also has concerns, though he wasn’t as explicit as Whitford. “I hope that Steven takes the time to put the focus on Steven and get healthy and take care of himself,” he says. When asked what exactly he means by “get healthy” Kramer said, “The truth of that is something that only Steven can answer and I’m not really at liberty to discuss it, you’d have to speak with him or his management.” A rep for Tyler said he is too busy working on his forthcoming memoir to comment on the allegations.

Meanwhile, the group says they have no plans to wait two years to reform, which Tyler has asked them to do while he works on a solo album and his book. “We have a fortieth anniversary coming up and we all would like to celebrate that with our fans,” Kramer says. “There’s people that we’ve been kicking around [to sing]. Famous singers. If that’s part of what it takes for us to move forward then you know, that’s what it’s gonna be.” Check out the next issue of Rolling Stone, on stands November 25th, for a detailed account of Aerosmith’s implosion.