MICK JONES And DENNIS ELLIOTT Will Not Attend FOREIGNER's ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Induction Ceremony

Original FOREIGNER drummer Dennis Elliott has revealed that he will not attend the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

In a post on his Facebook page earlier today (Thursday, October 17),Dennis wrote: ""Dear FOREIGNER Fans & Friends, Don't look too hard, we will not be there.

"We were finally given the schedule last night, and it is not to our satisfaction. So we are staying home.

"We have been asking for this for weeks, and they have waited until the very last minute to send it knowing we were all packed and going to bed. Totally unacceptable to us.

"Hope you have a good time."

In a separate post on FOREIGNER's official social media, the band said that "original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood and Rick Wills will be" at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame "to accept the awards on behalf of the band's leader and founder Mick Jones and Dennis Elliott, along [with] those of Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi who passed away some years ago."

Elliott was the drummer in FOREIGNER between 1976 and 1991.

At this year's Rock Hall, Sammy Hagar, Kelly Clarkson and Demi Lovato will honor FOREIGNER, with Hagar also set to induct the legendary rock act.

This past February, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.

The induction ceremony will be held on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It will air live on Disney+. An edited three-hour prime-time special will follow, premiering on New Year's Day on ABC, and become available for streaming the following day on Hulu and Disney+.

In an interview with News 8 WROC, Gramm stated about learning that he will be one of Rock Hall class of 2024 inductees: "It was a relief, because we have been eligible for a good long time. And we were wondering if we'd ever be in the Rock Hall Of Fame. We've aspired to be part of it, and it's very satisfying now that we're voted in. And I don't think I don't think we could be any happier."

Shortly after FOREIGNER's Rock Hall induction was first announced, Jones told Billboard that he would have no problems reuniting at the induction ceremony with Gramm, with whom he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame with in 2013.

"On a personal level, I have no hard feelings toward Lou," Jones said. "We did perform together at the 40th-anniversary concert. It has been so many years now since Lou left FOREIGNER; I like to think that those ill feelings are in the past. There is power in letting go of hard feelings and getting on with your life. Why carry the burden of hard feelings? It serves nothing in the long run.

When FOREIGNER was first nominated for the Rock Hall in February, Gramm released a video message expressing his gratitude. In the one-minute clip, which was posted to Lou's social media, the 74-year-old singer said: "I'd like to thank the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for the honor of nomination. And I'd like to acknowledge Mick Jones for his courage as he faces Parkinson's. I'd like to thank my friends in the music and the acting industry for their support, especially over the last two or three weeks in helping us to receive the nomination. Now I've seen a lot of the videos and I've definitely been feeling the buzz. It's really exciting and it means a lot. It means a lot to me and all the guys in the band. Now [multi-instrumentalist] Ian McDonald and [bassist] Ed Gagliardi were vital contributing members of the early FOREIGNER, and I know they're somewhere in the hereafter fist pumping and cheering for this nomination."

Earlier that same month, Jones's stepson, Oscar-nominated producer/songwriter Mark Ronson enlisted Dave Grohl, Jack Black, Slash, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE frontman Josh Homme (along with Ronson himself) to create a video campaigning for FOREIGNER's Rock Hall bid.

"Yes, Mick is my stepdad and I love him more than anything," Ronson wrote in a message accompanying the video. "But I'm also a MEGA fan just like Dave, Jack, Slash, Chad and Josh… Enjoy this video and VOTE BABY VOTE!"

In the clip, Homme said: "You want to know what love is? Love is putting FOREIGNER in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame." Smith added: "I can't believe they’re not in already — oh my God."

"I've loved FOREIGNER since I got their debut record," Grohl said. "There's one drum riff that I have used in more than a few songs."

Black sang parts of FOREIGNER's "I Want To Know What Love Is" before pleading, "Hey, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, open the door! FOREIGNER's waiting outside. Let 'em in."

In his Instagram message, Ronson shared a brief history of FOREIGNER's influence, writing: "Everything that made me want to be a record producer came from being in the studio watching FOREIGNER make records. I'm still completely in awe of the sound of those first five albums. Guitars with swagger and bite. Heavy drums that groove like a mutha with the bass. Wide layers of synths. And then there’s that voice. And those songs. It's really crazy. It's also kind of crazy that this is the first time they've ever been on the ballot for the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame — after 20 years of eligibility."

He added: "Fun Facts: FOREIGNER are the most played band on classic rock radio to not be in the hall of fame. They've been sung by our fave characters from the Simpsons, The Office, I, Tonya, Stranger Things and Wet Hot American Summer. They've been covered by Diana Ross and Mariah Carey (what the rock band can boast that??). They were sampled and turned into HOT FIRE by M.O.P. (remember that Cold As Ice joint?) and Tone-Loc who used them to concoct some Funky Cold Medina."

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to have been released in 1999 or earlier.

Eligible since 2002, FOREIGNER has had a huge number of rock hits, including "Cold As Ice", "Double Vision", "Hot Blooded", "I Want To Know What Love Is", "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent", and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, with no wins.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the FOREIGNER members that will get inducted include only the classic-era musicians Jones, Gramm, Elliott, Gagliardi, Greenwood, McDonald and Wills. McDonald and Gagliardi died in 2022 and 2014, respectively.