Izzy Stradlin left Guns N’ Roses on November 7, 1991 at the height of their fame and at the end of the bands European tour. Use Your Illusions I & II were at the top of the charts and “Don’t Cry” was their newest single. Stradlin played his last show with Guns N’ Roses was on August 31, 1991 at Wembley Stadium in London. Here’s a screen cap of Izzy on that night.
After Izzy departure from the band, GN’R released the video for the song “Don’t Cry” which Stradlin co-wrote with Axl Rose. Although he was not in the music video, this sign that says “Where’s Izzy” does appear for a quick second as an obvious sign of respect.
Stradlin also made a cameo appearance as a missing person on a milk carton in the video for GN’R’s next single “Live and Let Die“.
Of his reasons for leaving, Stradlin later said, “I didn’t like the complications that became such a part of daily life in Guns N’ Roses,” he citing the Riverport Riot and Rose’s chronic lateness on the Use Your Illusion tour as examples. He also stated that getting sober played a part in his decision to leave, saying,
“When you’re fucked up, you’re more likely to put up with things you wouldn’t normally put up with.”