After 27 years with the iconic rock group, drummer Matt Cameron announced his departure from Pearl Jam on social media on Monday.
In a statement shared on the band’s Instagram, he declared, “After 27 incredible years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser for the mighty Pearl Jam.” My sincere gratitude and admiration go out to Jeff [Ament], Ed [Eddie Vedde], Mike [McCready], and Stone [Gossard] for bringing me into the band in 1998 and for providing me with the chance of a lifetime, full of friendships, artistic challenges, and laughter. I will always be appreciative of the crew, employees, and fans worldwide. It has been an amazing adventure.
Cameron’s departure was not explained.
“From playing on our first demos in 1990 to being one of our first musical heroes in the bands Skin Yard and the mighty Soundgarden, Matt Cameron has been a singular and true powerhouse of a musician and drummer,” the other band members stated in a statement.
He has driven Pearl Jam’s live performances and studio albums throughout the past 27 years. For our organization, it was a really significant chapter, and we will always wish him well. He will always be our buddy in music and art, and we will miss him terribly.
Matt, you are loved.
Before Cameron was hired in 1998, the grunge-era Seattle band went through a number of drummers.
Cameron played on all of the studio albums of the well-known Seattle rock group Soundgarden with singer Chris Cornell before joining Pearl Jam. Together with Pearl Jam members, the two formed the supergroup Temple of the Dog, which put out one album in 1991 before Pearl Jam’s debut.
Following Soundgarden’s 2010 reunion, he played with both bands full-time until Cornell’s passing in 2017.
Along with guitarist Kim Thayil of Soundgarden and bassist Krist Novoselic of Nirvana, he founded 3rd Secret in 2022.
As a member of Pearl Jam, Cameron was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. Later this year, he will be inducted as a member of Soundgarden.
