Narada Michael Walden shocked Journey's fans with his unforeseen departure from the band after playing with them for two years.
Following Steve Smith and Ross Valory's exit from Journey, Walden and Randy Jackson replaced the two, respectively. They also became part of the band's upcoming studio album, "Freedom."
However, Journey hit glitches due to the changes in their lineup since 2021. Months after they returned to the stage, Walden officially left the group due to a heartbreaking reason.
Why Narada Michael Walden Left Journey
Deen Castronovo, former Journey drummer who rejoined the band and played with Walden before his exit, recently sat down for an interview to shed some light on his bandmate's departure.
In the discussion shared by Ultimate Classic Rock & Culture, Castronovo said that Walden suffered from unexpected health issues after their performance in Grantville. The event, unfortunately, led the drummer to exit the band.
All Journey members were said to be scared when Walden had a mild heart attack after their Pennsylvania show.
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"I remember just freaking out. It was like, "What the heck are we going to do?" He ended up staying there, and they fixed it really quickly, but I think for what Neal was looking for, he thought just keeping it as a five-piece would probably be the best thing. And I think Narada was at the same place," he said.
Since Walden still has little kids to take care of, he decided to be home and leave Journey for good - a decision which they mutually agreed on.
Before the drummer exited for good, he purportedly told the bandmates that he needed to work on his health and take care of his family.
For Castronovo, he said he would do the same and bow out for his kids.
How Deen Castronovo Went Back to Being Journey Member
Aside from Walden's exit, Castronovo also talked about his thoughts when he became a member of Journey again.
For the drummer, his return was kind of bittersweet as his mother passed away on the day Neal Schon texted him. The guitarist asked him if he could play some songs with Narada for two shows.
Since his mother had just died, Castronovo asked for a day before rejoining the band.
"I got on the [electronic] ddrum kit and Narada was right across from me, and he was killing it! He sounds great! There were just little things that he wasn't quite capturing, so I was helping him through those and showing him what we did," he went on.
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