Alice Cooper Guitarist Nita Strauss Leaving The Band After Almost A Decade

After nearly a decade, guitarist Nita Strauss is leaving Alice Cooper's band for a new job.

Strauss has long-credited the Godfather of Shock Rock with helping to bring her to the next level of her career when she joined his band in 2014. She has yet to confirm what her next project is, but she had to cancel upcoming solo gigs due to conflicts.

"After this absolutely incredible run in Europe, it is bittersweet for me to let you guys know that I will not be joining the Alice Cooper band for the upcoming fall tour," Strauss announced via Instagram. "I will also regretfully have to cancel the festival dates my solo band had planned for the rest of the year."

She continued, pre-empting any rumors about her sudden change of plans.

"I AM NOT PREGNANT!!!" she insisted. "There is no drama whatsoever and my touring year is still VERY full — in fact, I'm on a flight straight into the next adventure as I post this, and I'll be on stage again much sooner than you think! But that's news for another day."

Strauss later followed up with a short clip of her final bow with Alice Cooper. She thanked Alice, his wife Sheryl, his longtime manager Shep Gordon and his loyal fans for all their support over the years. Her Alice Cooper bandmates took to the comments to wish her well.

There are unsubstantiated rumors that Strauss is off to join popstar Demi Lovato's new band. Lovato has a new tour starting in August and an album coming soon thereafter. Lovato has suggested that she's pursuing a heavier direction on her new record, referring to it as "a funeral for my pop music."

Strauss is one of heavy metal's premiere lead guitarists for hire. In 2018, she became the first woman to ever have an artist signature model with Ibanez when the company launched her Ibanez JIVA.