Imagine Dragons Drummer Daniel Platzman Reveals Why He's Leaving Band After More Than 10 Years

Platzman announced an indefinite hiatus last year, saying at the time that he needed to focus on his health

Imagine Dragons drummer Daniel Platzman has announced his departure from the band after more than a decade.

Platzman, 37, had previously announced a hiatus from the group in March 2023, but revealed his exit was permanent in a message shared with fans on Instagram on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

“After an incredible journey of over a decade, I will be departing the amazing band that is Imagine Dragons,” he wrote. “I wanted to share my deepest gratitude to you, the fans, for your unwavering support and sharing in the joy of music with me. Connecting with you all has truly been the highlight of this chapter.”

The musician said that while away from the group, he’d been spending time focused on what he considers his “biggest passion”: making music for movies.

“I’m excited to be able to share more soon about the projects I’ve been hard at work on over the past few months centered on my biggest passion: film scoring and composing,” he wrote. “I promise you’ll be the first to know. Stay tuned.”

Related: Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds Wrote New Album After His World Was 'Turned Upside Down': 'I Was Refinding Myself' (Exclusive)

Platzman previously announced an indefinite hiatus from Imagine Dragons last year, and the group’s most recent album Loom, which came out in June, was their first release as a trio. The band’s current lineup is frontman Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon and bassist Ben McKee.

At the time of his hiatus, Platzman wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he had “not been well.”

“I can’t tell you the depths of regret I have for letting our incredible South American fans as well as my band mates down, but I need to take a little time to focus on my health,” he wrote. “The shows will go on, and I hope to be back on stage very soon.”

Then in September, the band’s manager Mac Reynolds addressed Platzman’s status with the band in a Discord Q&A.

“I think what I'll say is this. You guys have people you know and love in your life. We all know and love Dan, Wayne, Ben, and Platz. And with people you love, you let them tell their own stories at their own time when they're ready, right? Everybody's on their own journeys, and, you know, sometimes I know we all wish we kind of had every answer sooner, or we want to know, you know, exactly what's in people's minds,” he said. “But I kind of think it's better to give everybody their breathing room to be able to share their story at the right time, and that should be soon, I'm sure.”

He continued, “And so, yeah, it's not mine to speak to, right? Like, it's not my story to tell. I can tell you my stuff, but not them. I'll just tell you lots of love across the group, you know, for everybody involved, always.”

Dan Reynolds, 37, co-founded Imagine Dragons in 2008, and Platzman joined the group in 2011, prior to the 2012 release of their seven-times platinum debut album Night Visions.

The band is currently on their largest North American headlining tour to date, and they’ll be on the road through December.

“I find so much fulfillment through the Dragons,” Reynolds told PEOPLE in June. “We have been through so much together as a trio that I think we have deep, mutual respect for each other. It’s like family, but also professional. We’ve been to therapy together as a band.”

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