The Smashing Pumpkins have announced the departure of their longtime guitarist, Jeff Schroeder.

In a statement posted to the band’s social media, Schroeder wrote: “It’s easy to say now that when I joined The Smashing Pumpkins in 2007 I had no idea what I was getting into. The opportunity seemed to have come out of nowhere. I was at UCLA working on my doctorate in comparative literature when a close friend messaged me and said The Smashing Pumpkins were looking for a guitar player.

“Being a huge fan of the band, the audition was something I threw myself into,” Schroeder continued. “It was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. The amount of incredible memories created over the last 16 years with the band are almost too numerous to quantify.

“Although it was a very difficult decision to make, I’ve decided to leave the band to make some space to explore a slightly different path. I want to thank Billy, Jimmy, James, and Jack for being both wonderful bandmates and even better friends. I will absolutely miss sharing the stage with you. I wish the band all the success in the future. I will be watching and listening.”

Schroeder joined The Smashing Pumpkins in 2007 on their comeback tour for the album ‘Zeitgeist’, originally replacing co-founder and guitarist James Iha. When Iha rejoined the band in 2018, Schroeder would continue to stay. He recorded six albums total with the group, including the recent three-part rock opera ‘ATUM‘, which NME said was “an ambitious body of work” with “plenty on here to please any diehard Pumpkins fan.”

In a previous interview with Guitar World in 2018, frontman Billy Corgan praised Schroeder, saying:“Look, Jeff has put 12 years into the band, and that’s a very serious commitment. He’s dedicated his life to the band, and I feel he’s earned this.

“Not only is he a great musician, but he’s also very responsible for a lot that goes on behind the scenes. I really didn’t see any way this could work without him.”

The Smashing Pumpkins are due to depart on two upcoming tours. They will head to the UK and Europe with Weezer for a joint 2024 summer tour (tickets are on sale here). Green Day also announced that The Smashing Pumpkins would be supporting them on their 2024 US stadium tour; no dates have been announced yet.

Rancid and The Linda Lindas were also announced to support the pop-punk trio alongside The Smashing Pumpkins.