Has the band Chicago issued any official statements about former members’ health or lineup changes since 2021?
Executive summary
Yes — Chicago has made several official, on-the-record statements and website updates about former members’ health and lineup changes since 2021: founding saxophonist Walter Parazaider publicly disclosed an Alzheimer’s diagnosis via the band’s channels in 2021, guitarist Keith Howland announced his departure in late 2021 and the band updated its lineup pages to reflect that change, and the group publicly confirmed subsequent touring substitutions and member additions through 2022 (and website roster updates through later years) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. Parazaider’s health disclosure: a band-sanctioned announcement
In April 2021 Walter Parazaider posted an announcement on Chicago’s official channels disclosing that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a statement carried by the band and widely reported by outlets that republished the post; multiple summaries and the band’s own news archive are cited in reporting of the disclosure [1] [2] [6].
2. Keith Howland’s accident, leave and formal exit: timeline and confirmation
Keith Howland suffered an onstage accident in November 2021 that prompted an immediate leave of absence; he then announced his decision to leave Chicago on December 1, 2021 after more than 26 years, citing recovery considerations, and the band’s official materials removed him from the active lineup while listing his substitute, Tony Obrohta, as taking his place—an action consistent across the band’s pages and contemporaneous reporting [3] [4] [5].
3. Touring substitutions and 2022 lineup changes that were publicly acknowledged
Chicago publicly documented several touring substitutions and formal additions in 2022: Loren Gold, who filled in for Lou Pardini in 2021, began appearing regularly in early 2022 and was announced as an official keyboard/vocal presence; the band also announced the departure of bassist Brett Simons and the joining of Eric Baines in May 2022, actions reflected in the band’s updates and in major band-member lists compiled by secondary sources [5] [7] [8].
4. How the band communicates: official website updates versus press releases and third‑party reporting
The primary evidence of Chicago’s official statements in this period appears in the band’s own website news posts and roster pages and is echoed by reputable music press and databases; secondary aggregators (Wikipedia, Classic Rock History, fan wikis) track and summarize those website announcements, but they also introduce inconsistencies and later editorial additions that require checking back to the band’s pages for original wording and timing [2] [9] [8].
5. Later roster notes and touring hiatuses: what sources say, and limits of available reporting
Some sources extend the chronology beyond 2022, noting continued roster updates and, in at least one summary, that founding members Robert Lamm and James Pankow were on hiatus from touring for health reasons as of 2025; those later claims appear in the same aggregate sources that track the band roster, but the reportage is derived from band-page updates and retrospective writeups rather than fresh standalone press releases [1] [10]. Reporting reviewed here does not include verbatim press-release text for each item, so confirmation rests on the band’s news posts and subsequent coverage.
6. Alternative perspectives and caveats about “official” statements
While the band’s website and its news posts constitute the clearest official record cited in reporting, some outlets and fan sites conflate substitution-for-tours with permanent lineup changes or rely on retrospective lists that may add entries (or dates) later; therefore, the cleanest measure of Chicago’s official statements since 2021 is the band’s own announcements (e.g., Parazaider’s health post, Howland’s departure and the roster changes noted on the band pages) rather than secondary compilations that sometimes disagree on timing or status [5] [4] [9].