Ah, fame.

It can turn the best of men into whimpering, whiny, drug-addled tabloid fodder in no time. It takes a certain breed of person to suffer fame and survive with their wits intact... even more so if your fame happens overnight. Some people can hack it; others get out while the gettin's good.

Which brings us to Andy Nicholson, who has quit ARCTIC MONKEYS at the zenith of their debut record success. The bass player had actually been MIA for a bit, absent from the band's recent US tour due to what was announced at the time as "fatigue."

Today the band announced via their website that Andy's departure is permanent:

"We are sad to tell everyone that Andy is no longer with the band. Nick OâEUR(TM)Malley, who stood in for Andy while he was absent from the recent tour of North America, shall carry on playing bass for the remaining shows this summer. We have been mates with Andy for a long time and have been through some amazing things together that no one can take away. We all wish Andy the very best. -Alex, Jamie and Matt."