Richard Fortus

On December 10, 2016, Fortus married Stephanie Howlett, a St. Louis-based attorney. The couple resides in St. Louis County, Missouri with their two daughters.

In September 2015, he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash, causing him to miss dates with the Dead Daisies. Fortus suffered a broken shoulder blade, a broken collarbone, six broken ribs, a broken toe, a bruised lung, a lacerated liver and a concussion.

In 2013, Fortus joined the Dead Daisies with the likes of Jon Stevens and Dave Lowy as well as Guns N' Roses bandmates Frank Ferrer and Dizzy Reed. Their eponymous debut album was released on August 9, 2013. A second album "Revolucion" was released in 2015. Fortus left the Dead Daisies in 2016 to focus on Guns N' Roses.

Fortus provided guitar for former The Replacements and Guns N' Roses bassist Tommy Stinson's two solo albums. Fortus also recorded a cover of the James Bond theme for Guitar Hero World Tour and later played the song live as a solo spot during Guns N' Roses's 2012 tour.

Fortus briefly joined Thin Lizzy as lead guitarist in 2011.

Fortus recorded guitars for the band's 2008 album Chinese Democracy and appears on the live release Appetite for Democracy 3D.

In March 2008 Fortus was one of the guest guitarists for the reunion shows of X Japan at the Tokyo Dome. He played with them three more times in 2018, on April 10 and 11 at Zepp Divercity and on April 14 at Coachella.

In 2008 he joined the Danish rock/pop band, the Storm, on their tour. Fortus played guitar on their first record, "Where the Storm Meets the Ground," and is a personal friend of leadsinger Pernille Rosendahl and lead guitarist Johan Wohlert.

On November 5, 2005, Fortus' partner gave birth to a daughter, Paisley Piper Fortus. She gave birth to a second child, Clover Blue Fortus, on January 6, 2008.

Fortus has been present at every tour since 2002, most recently at the Not in This Lifetime... Tour, playing alongside classic era members Slash and Duff McKagan.

Fortus has collaborated with techno-rock musician BT on several occasions, including touring with him in 2000.

In 1999, Fortus was contacted by Guns N' Roses to audition as a potential replacement for the departing Robin Finck. However, the spot was ultimately filled by Buckethead. In 2002, guitarist Paul Tobias left Guns N' Roses, citing stress with touring. Fortus was touring Europe as guitarist for Enrique Iglesias in May 2002 when he got a call from his friend (and Guns N' Roses bassist) Tommy Stinson asking him to fly out to audition for the band. Fortus joined Guns N' Roses officially in July 2002.

Fortus was in a group called Honky Toast with Frank Ferrer, singer Eric J. Toast and bassist E.Z. Bake. The group released one album, 1999's Watcha Gonna Do Honky?.

After the Psychedelic Furs split up, Fortus formed Love Spit Love with Richard Butler and Frank Ferrer in 1992. When the Furs reformed in 2000, Fortus joined the group as second guitarist and played on the live album Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live. Love Spit Love went on an indefinite hiatus soon after.

Fortus founded the band The Eyes in 1984. The four-piece alternative band independently released "Freedom in a Cage", which was produced by David Probst. After signing with Atlantic Records, they changed their name to Pale Divine. They subsequently toured the U.S. in support of their only album, Straight to Goodbye, opening for The Psychedelic Furs.

Richard Fortus (born November 17, 1966) is an American guitarist. He is best known as a member of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he has been a member since 2002, and with whom he has recorded one studio album. Fortus has also collaborated extensively with The Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler and fellow Guns N' Roses bandmate Frank Ferrer. Aside from lead singer Axl Rose, and keyboardist Dizzy Reed, Fortus is the longest tenured member of Guns N' Roses, having been with the band continuously since 2002.