After Tom DeLonge left Blink-182 in 2015, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker turned to Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio to continue the project. Blink’s classic lineup is now reuniting, and DeLonge has shared a message thanking Skiba for “all that you have done to keep the band alive.”
“I sent this to Matt personally,” DeLonge wrote in a social media statement, “but it’s important for the world to know that I honor him.”
The letter reads:
“I wanted to take a minute and say thank you for all that you have done to keep the band alive and thriving in my absence. I think you are enormously talented (I still love to listen to your band to this day). You have always been so kind to me, not only in the press, but also to others. I really noticed. Emotions between the three of us in blink have always been complicated, but Mark’s cancer really put things in perspective. But to be honest, the band would not even be here today if it were not for your ability to jump in and save the day. So from my heart to yours, thank you for being a member of our band.”
Check out the original post below. Blink-182 will hit the road on a 2023 reunion tour and pre-sale is ongoing; use code PUMPKIN and get your tickets here. If you’d like, you can also revisit our timeline of all the band’s lineup changes, and our list of Blink-182’s best songs. Also stay on the lookout for Hoppus’ memoir of music and surviving cancer, which he started writing earlier this year.