Actually his wife filed for divorce in Feb 2006 and he also learned that his dad had cancer in 2006, around June, I think. It was the following year when his divorce became final and his dad died, almost within the same week in April 2007. But I'm glad you brought it up because among Seb's reasons why (at least since April 2013) anyone can see what a liability Richie has been, all but one occurred during the HAND tour (November 2005 - July 2006) or in June 2007 less than 6 weeks after his Dad's death. A thinking person might wonder if there could possibly be a connection between the instability of Richie's performances and that particular timeframe. Hmmm...

But you are right. He DID carry on. Which is exactly why I say it makes no sense now and why I don't think we have the whole story about this situation (and therefore, IMO, can’t possibly know if it’s excusable or not). I know that Richie said, in his own words, that he missed his daughter. He also said that he needed a break. He also said that the band was going in a different direction. None of those things is necessarily a lie. But let’s say I go to the store to buy a week’s worth of groceries and my list included apples and pasta. When someone asks what I bought I can truthfully answer, “Apples and pasta.” It’s not a lie; but it doesn’t explain what’s in the other 8 bags I brought home either. So it doesn’t tell the whole story.

There were too many partial reasons given (reasons that wouldn't air Jovi's dirty laundry, if that’s what the primary reason is – and I’m not saying it is, but it could be). But none of them explains why he would leave in the middle of a tour and none of them have anything to do with the FIRST answer he gave, which was "Jon and I just aren't happening right now. But a band's like family and family business stays in the family." That, not any delusion, is what makes me think that something was going on behind the scenes that they aren't going to talk about. It has nothing to do with whether I like Richie or not. It's what makes the most sense when you look at the whole picture with eyes that aren't clouded by anger or suspicion.

Apparently, he didn't want to give up his rightful place in a band that he helped build; and going on tour, against his better judgment, was the only choice he was given. Or maybe something happened AFTER the tour started.

I'm pretty sure that he did NOT tweet this. I don't think he said it either. I think it's another example of Seb's faulty memory or revisionist history like the 2010 leg of The Circle Tour that Richie allegedly dropped off of. Because when he was asked about Hyde Park (which was after South Africa and was at the very end of the EU leg), he said, "No, that would be too soon.” Then when the reporter pressed further by suggesting September, Richie said, "Maybe... that might be good." And when the press incorrectly reported that he had said he WOULD be back in September he clarified with a tweet the next day saying that it wasn't definite, he had only said it was possible he could return by September.

Wrong. I'm not in the least “deluded”. I KNOW that we probably don’t have the whole story! LOL

I am also completely aware that it could very well be true that Richie underwent a total personality change and turned his back on the fans, the band, his own personal work ethic, and walked away for no reason at all. But just because it COULD be true doesn't necessarily mean that it IS. Please explain to me what is delusional about recognizing that we don't know the full story of what happened.

IMO, the "deluded" ones are those who take a little bit of this and a little bit of that and presume that THEY KNOW what happened. Then they can come up with the scenario that best justifies their continued scorn, while they totally disregard what we DO know about BJ's history of keeping any ugliness out of the public eye.

Man, that sucks; and I'm truly sorry that you were disappointed. I can totally understand why you're angry and why you wanted an explanation. And if you choose to never forgive Richie, that is certainly within your rights. Just as it is within my rights to voice an opinion about what I see as the unfairness of judging without the whole story. And as long as people continue to do that, I will propably continue to exercise my right to object.

Neither your anger nor your unwillingness to forgive Richie changes the fact that we may never know if we have the real reason(s) why he left mid-tour. And they don't change my opinion that it's unfair to judge him without knowing what those reasons are. I am not "deluded" simply because you're angry or because I disagree with you (or with other people who made up their minds before ANY reasons were given and are now re-writing history to conform to the premature assumptions they made).

Sorry, but those are actual facts with no delusion to create any haziness for anyone.