On social media, the other band members regret the message.

“As most of you probably know, our brother James has struggled with addiction for many years. He has now, unfortunately, had to re-enroll in a treatment program to work on his recovery, ”reads a statement from the rest of the band.

The tour should have started on October 17. The band's ambition is to be able to complete the tour as soon as possible.

Hired psychologist

James Hetfield has previously been open with his drug and alcohol abuse. At the beginning of the 1990s, the front man was forced to leave Metallica to enter a treatment center. In the same vein, the crisis band hired a psychologist, which is depicted in the documentary "Some kind of monster" from 2004.

Since then, Hetfield must have stayed sober.

"Losing my family, it was the thing that scared me the most, it was what I hit in the bottom with, that my family would disappear because of the behavior I brought home from the tournament," he said in an interview with podiatrist Joe Rogan in December 2016.

According to a recent study, Metallica is the world's most successful live band in terms of ticket revenue. Last year, Metallica became the first metal band to receive the Polar Prize.