REM, once dubbed "America's Best Rock & Roll Band," has said that they decided to "call it a day" after more than 30 years of generating hits and selling millions of records.
Key members of the band, whose hits include The One I Love and Losing My Religion, addressed fans in a posting on their website, thanking them for their loyalty and saying they have astonished even themselves with their accomplishments.
"To our Fans and Friends: as REM, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished," said the band.
REM , made up of singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bass player Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, formed in 1980. Berry quit after suffering a brain aneurysm in 1997.