Bands break up all the time, but those that dissolve at the height of their fame can be especially hard on both band members and fans. The Onion looks back at the ugliest band breakups of all time.
The Beatles: Didn’t officially dissolve until 1970, but it was an open secret things had been going downhill ever since Pete Best’s 1962 departure.
The Stone Roses: Their tumultuous breakup was shamelessly ripped off by Oasis a few years later.
Rage Against The Machine: The rift started when Tom Morello witnessed Zach de la Rocha participating in capitalism by purchasing a Charleston Chew at a 7-11.
Sex Pistols: A disastrous tour by the U.K. punks petered to a close in San Francisco in 1978, with lead singer Johnny Rotten famously snarling at the audience, “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated out of an equitable door-split agreement and blanket license fee percentages?”
The Smiths: You’d break up too if you had to work with that insufferable creep, drummer Mike Joyce.
Guns N’ Roses: Shockingly, several adult men who bonded solely over music and drug use wound up not having much in common.
One Direction: Member Zayn Malik cited wanting to be a normal 22-year-old who has tons of money and dates supermodels.
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra: A grotesque onstage brawl filled with smashed instruments signaled the end of this provocative, controversial group.
Chicago: Following the lead singer’s untimely death, the remaining members broke off to form the far less interesting projects Lombard, Naperville, and Wheeling.