Feb. 17 Huffington Post reported that Travis Barker, drummer for Blink-182, won’t be accompanying the rest of the boys on their Australian tour. Barker, 37, admits that he is still too afraid to board an airplane after his tragic plane accident in 2008 that took the life of four people, including his friend Chris Baker and security guard Che Still.
On his Facebook page he made the official announcement:
“I’m sorry to announce i won’t be joining Blink-182 on this Australian tour. I still haven’t gotten over the horrific events that took place the last time i flew when my plane crashed and 4 people were killed, two being my best friends. I gave the band my blessing to take another drummer if they still wanted to do the tour without me. I hope to come to Australia again someday perhaps by ship if need be. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a boat that worked with the schedule this time around. Once again I’m sorry to all the fans.
-Travis”
LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 31: Musician Travis Barker (C) and children attend Nickelodeon’s 25th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards held at Galen Center on March 31, 2012 in Los Angeles, California.
As the father of Landon, 9, and Alabama, 6, Barker isn’t going to press his luck. If Blink-182 want to hire another drummer for the tour, that’s fine by him. He took an ocean liner to the UK for the tour, but unfortunately scheduling conflicts got in the way of an Australian one. Barker may have to start working with a therapist to get over his fear of flying. Surviving a horrific plane crash can cause post traumatic stress disorder and panic attacks. Barker has never spoken publicly about whether he suffers from a mental health disorder; only that he has a fear of flying.
