Twisted Sister guitarist Eddie Ojeda recently discussed how frontman Dee Snider changed his mind about reunion shows after experiencing health concerns. He revealed this information in an interview on the Headbangers Rock Show.
Ojeda explained how Snider initially pushed for the reunion shows but later backed out due to health issues.
“Well, originally Dee wanted to do this. I guess we were getting offers [for shows], and he was hearing stuff. He was the first person to suggest it, because myself and Jay Jay [French, Twisted Sister guitarist], we weren’t even thinking about it. He kind of motivated us to do it,” Ojeda said. “It was the 50th anniversary of the whole thing, and we said, ‘Okay, let’s do this.’ Then things can change in six months. Even myself, I had to have a foot surgery, but I could have held off and done the tour and done [the surgery] afterwards. But because we canceled, I was able to do it now and get it out of the way. But, like I said, things changed.”
The guitarist detailed how the plans progressed before Snider’s health concerns emerged.
“Apparently, when we first started talking about it — it came up in August of last year — [Dee] sort of talked us into it, ‘Hey, let’s do this. It’ll be great, the three of us out there.’ ‘Cause we’ve been together the longest — me, [Dee and Jay Jay]… We’ve had different drummers and bass players, but the three of us have been doing it this whole time. So things kept going, and we booked all these shows to do in Europe, all these big festivals, headlining, and it looked really good,” he continued.
Ojeda then explained Snider’s reaction to his health issues and the subsequent cancellation.
“Then I guess Dee ended up having some issues with his heart, with hypertension and things like that, which I’ve had for 10 years, which you get medication for it and you don’t freak out over it. I think just because he performs at the level that he does, it’s more intense for him. I understand it. He set the bar very high for himself, being the kind of performer he is,” Ojeda said. “Rather than do it — which, I think, people would’ve been cool with him toning it down a little bit, but I guess he just really freaked out over it and talked with his family and just decided to cancel all the shows. We were very surprised, but it sort of put us into a situation where [we thought], ‘Well, let’s do some shows. Let’s do something.’ We weren’t gonna do anything. We were gonna cancel everything.”
The remaining band members are now considering alternative plans following the cancellation of the reunion shows.
Ojeda’s account aligns with more detailed revelations about Snider’s health struggles that have since emerged. This paints a fuller picture of the 71-year-old vocalist’s difficult decision to step away from the reunion tour.
Louder Sound reported that Snider has been battling severe degenerative arthritis affecting his shoulders, neck, arms, legs, and hands, along with the heart issues and hypertension that Ojeda mentioned. The arthritis has become so debilitating that it caused constant pain. This led to excessive painkiller use that began harming his liver and kidneys.
“My body’s been causing me problems with growing arthritis and degenerative arthritis through my shoulders, my neck, my arms,” Snider explained in recent interviews, as Blabbermouth documented. The vocalist also revealed that his children intervened, sitting him down and pleading with him to stop performing, saying “Please stop.”
Despite the band’s willingness to accommodate Snider’s condition, including offers to provide medical technicians and even wheel him on and off stage, his manager Phil Carson ultimately made the final call. Louder Sound noted that Carson told the band “He’s out. He cannot do this,” after the reunion was announced in September 2025 and subsequently canceled in February 2026.
The extent of Snider’s physical limitations has become increasingly apparent. The Metallist detailed that the vocalist has also undergone a recent hip replacement, continues to deal with a lingering knee injury, and can no longer grip a microphone properly due to severe arthritis in both hands. Snider himself acknowledged that “The body just can’t do what TWISTED SISTER requires.” He recognized that his physical condition would prevent him from meeting the band’s high-energy stage demands.
In response to Snider’s withdrawal, the remaining members have shifted their plans to include Sebastian Bach as the frontman for a tour scheduled for autumn 2026. Specific details are still being finalized.
