Original FOREIGNER Singer LOU GRAMM Says MICK JONES Is 'In The End Stages' Of Parkinson's Disease

During an appearance on SPIN magazine's Lipps Service With Scott Lipps podcast, original FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm was asked about his current relationship with the band's founding guitarist Mick Jones. He responded: "It's pretty good. He's in end stages of Alzheimer's. So our conversations are… I can't tell how he is. He's distant."

Gramm, who has been performing with FOREIGNER as a special guest at select shows on the band's 50th-anniversary tour, told News-Press in separate interview that he is touring with FOREIGNER in honor of Jones, who was previously said to be battling Parkinson's disease and was unable to appear.

"This FOREIGNER is Mick's creation," Gramm said of the band's current lineup. "He played with them for, I don't know, 25 years or so. And he's unable to play any more. He's in the end stages [of Parkinson's disease].

"The last time I talked to him, I told him that I would go out with the band for the 50th anniversary," Gramm revealed. "And that made him really happy. I think it's an honor to go out anyway. So I couldn't be happier. I'm doing it in the name of the band and for Mick… I think it's the right thing to do, and I like singing those songs. And this version of FOREIGNER is very good."

Gramm went on to say that he enjoys performing with the current version of FOREIGNER. "They're great guys," he said. "They play the music the way it's supposed to be played, and everything's comfortable… They love the music. They play the music right, and they're very friendly, you know? They stay very close to the parts that were on the albums. And so for the audience, it's like hearing the record. That's what I like, too. That makes it easier for me to sing."

Gramm had previously been very open about his issues with Jones, especially after the singer's final departure from FOREIGNER in early 2003. But in the months after FOREIGNER's "life-changing" induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in October 2024, Gramm told Billboard magazine that he had a change of heart.

"Ever since [the induction] it felt like, personally, I had to find a way to let go of some of the things I've been holding on to for years — and, like the song says, let it be," he said.

Jones stopped performing with FOREIGNER in 2023, and he revealed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis a few months before the Rock Hall induction. Jones was unable to attend the event because of his deteriorating health. Gramm later said: "I feel bad that [Mick] couldn't have performed at the Rock Hall Of Fame, but good enough that he's certainly aware that we are in the Rock Hall now. And I hope he feels great about it, because it has a lot to do with him."

Over the years, Gramm had admitted holding a grudge toward Jones over the disputed songwriting credits on FOREIGNER's hit song "I Want To Know What Love Is". The power ballad, which is credited solely to Jones, was released in November 1984 as the lead single from the group's fifth album, "Agent Provocateur".

"It's very difficult, because we worked our tails off together, writing most of those songs," Gramm explained during a 2024 interview with VPR Rocks. "And I think we were the focal part of the band too, so the live show was very important and stuff. And I thought we had a very good friendship during most of those years. But after that 'I Want To Know What Love Is' [disagreement over songwriting credits] happened, it was different."

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

Gramm and Jones's June 2013 performance of "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Juke Box Hero" at the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in New York City marked the first time the pair performed together in a decade after Gramm left FOREIGNER for a second time.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Kelly Hansen in 2005. Last May, Hansen announced during the band's performance on the season finale of NBC singing competition "The Voice", that he would be leaving the group at the end of the legendary rockers' summer 2025 tour. In a moving segment that aired nationally, Hansen introduced FOREIGNER guitarist Luis Maldonado as his official successor — a moment that symbolized both an end and a bold new beginning for the powerhouse group.

Before Luis joined FOREIGNER, he was best known as the guitarist for TRAIN and for his work with Lisa Marie Presley.

FOREIGNER's current lineup consists of Luis Maldonado (lead vocals/guitar),Jeff Pilson (bass),Michael Bluestein (keyboards),Bruce Watson (guitars) and Chris Frazier (drums).