I was going to post this on my Tumblr, but decided to pick your brains. I think aside from drugs or alcohol, the one stereotypical thing about bands is that there is almost always that one member that is troubled or needs to breakout/leave the band. Sometimes it stops the group cold, sometimes it prompts the band to just replace them and move on.

I'll list a few random ones here, but what ones have pissed you off or really stood out in your head as changing the sound or aural aesthetic of the band. This does not include deaths. This is about a member making a conscious choice to leave the group and thereby upsetting fans and/or the fabric of the group itself.

And just for the sake of it, let's keep it non-Prince. No Time, Family, Revolution etc exists. Let's concentrate on other big bands.

Spice Girls - Geri Halliwell

One Direction - Zayn

Nsync - Justin Timberlake

O-Town - Ashley Parker Angel

Journey - Steve Perry

Van Halen - David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar (although Roth is back, Michael Anthony has left)

Metallica - Jason Newsted

Destiny's Child - Beyonce (and the turmoil started with the other two girls earlier)

Commodores - Lionel Richie

Jacksons - Michael Jackson

Chicago - Peter Cetera

Doobie Brothers - Michael McDonald

Genesis - Peter Gabriel (Collins left for a short bit)

Wham! - George Michael (although it was an agreed-upon split)

okay...GO.

Jackson 5 - Jermaine Jackson
Red Hot Chili Peppers - John Frusciante (he wasn't an original member though)
L.T.D. - Jeffrey Osborne
Genesis - Steve Hackett (to me, their music wasn't that different after Peter left, just nobody wearing a fox mask & a dress. The sound really changed when Steve left, less prog rock and more R&B.)
Rolling Stones - Brian Jones & Bill Wyman
Soul Stirrers - Sam Cooke, Johnnie Taylor
Monkees - Mike Nesmith not participating in some of the reunions and quitting the 1990s Justus tour.
Brand New Heavies - N'Dea Davenport
Jamiroquai - Stuart Zender & Wallis Buchanan (no more didgeridoo songs)
Black Sabbath - Ozzy Osbourne (he didn't quit, but was fired)
Tears For Fears - Curt Smith (there were some TFF albums in the 1990s that were really Roland Orzabal solo)
Kool & The Gang - J.T. Taylor
En Vogue - Dawn Robinson & Maxine Jones
C+C Music Factory - Freedom Williams

Foreigner - Lou Graham

Duran Duran - Andy Taylor, Warren Cuccurullo, John Taylor (Andy & John later returned along with Roger Taylor who had left show business, but Andy left again)

Isley Brothers - Ernie & Marvin Isley, Chris Jasper
DeBarge - El DeBarge
The Supremes - Diana Ross
The Miracles - Smokey Robinson

The Temptations - David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks, Dennis Edwards

Rufus - Chaka Khan

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Teddy Pendergrass

The Impressions - Jerry Butler

Black Eyed Peas - Kim Hill (they were more successful with Fergie, but the music & image was different. Kim wouldn't have done something like My Humps. I've noticed that their most recent songs without Fergie are closer to their earlier stuff)

MickyDolenz said:

Kool & The Gang - J.T. Taylor
En Vogue - Dawn Robinson & Maxine Jones
C+C Music Factory - Freedom Williams

Foreigner - Lou Graham

Duran Duran - Andy Taylor, Warren Cuccurullo, John Taylor (Andy & John later returned along with Roger Taylor who had left show business, but Andy left again)

Andy Taylor & Roger Taylor leaving DD was shocking. Andy was the troubled soul on that one. Warren wasn't an original member, and his impact was minimal on the band, IMO.

I can see Maxine losing interesting, but I will always hold Dawn Robinson fully responsible for that ongoing drama.

JT & Lou Graham - yep.

C+C was a side project like S.O.U.L.S.Y.S.T.E.M., so Freedom was as relevant as whoever else.

Mötley Crüe - Vince Neil, Tommy Lee (Neither the Crüe album with John Corabi as the singer, Vince's solo stuff, or Tommy's hip hop record was really successful. Samantha Maloney was the drummer when Tommy was out)

The White Stripes: Jack & Meg split.

The Eagles: Don Felder

Sex Pistols: Johnny Rotten

Fifth Harmony: Camila Cabello

The Police: Sting

Rage Against the Machine: Zach DeLe Rocha

The Power Station (Andy Taylor, John Taylor (Duran, Duran) Tony Thompson (Chic) Robert Palmer: Robert Palmer went solo

Cream: Eric Clapton

Black Sabbath: Ozzy Osbourne

Blue Oyster Cult: Albert Bouchard

PennyPurple said:

The Power Station (Andy Taylor, John Taylor (Duran, Duran) Tony Thompson (Chic) Robert Palmer: Robert Palmer went solo

The Power Station was a side-project-super-group anyway.

TrivialPursuit said:

PennyPurple said:

The Power Station (Andy Taylor, John Taylor (Duran, Duran) Tony Thompson (Chic) Robert Palmer: Robert Palmer went solo

The Power Station was a side-project-super-group anyway.

True but they got ticked at Palmer and said he stole their sound when he went solo.

PennyPurple said:

The Power Station (Andy Taylor, John Taylor (Duran, Duran) Tony Thompson (Chic) Robert Palmer: Robert Palmer went solo

When they did the 2nd album in the mid 1990s, it was John who left in the middle of the sessions. John quit Power Station & Duran Duran at the same time then.

PennyPurple said:

TrivialPursuit said:

The Power Station was a side-project-super-group anyway.

True but they got ticked at Palmer and said he stole their sound when he went solo.

Oh please. They're pissy because he certainly had his own sound before & after that one record (although I think they did 2 albums total).

I loved his cover of GAP Band's "Early In The Morning" and Jermaine's "Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming".

MickyDolenz said: