‘It’s On Me Now’: Lou Gramm Takes the Torch for Foreigner as Mick Jones Battles Health Issues

There was no grand announcement. No major press tour. Just a voice — familiar, weathered, unmistakable — stepping back onto the stage.

Lou Gramm, the powerhouse vocalist behind some of Foreigner’s biggest hits, has returned to perform with the band he helped define. But this isn’t a typical reunion. It’s not driven by record sales, nostalgia, or even the band’s recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — though that plays a part. It’s something heavier. More human.

“I wanna help fly the flag,” Gramm said in a recent interview on the Beyond The Vibe podcast. His voice, still carrying that smoky mix of soul and steel, wasn’t talking about reliving old glories. He was talking about someone who wasn’t there.

That someone is Mick Jones — guitarist, songwriter, band founder, and, for decades, the creative spine of Foreigner. Jones hasn’t been seen on stage for some time now. And earlier this year, he revealed why: he’s been quietly battling Parkinson’s disease.

“I know Mick is not in good health,” Gramm said. “I think if he was in good health, he would be out there with this band, and maybe I would be joining him.”

Parkinson’s Offstage, Legacy On

Instead, Jones has stepped back from performing. He hasn’t abandoned the band — far from it. From behind the scenes, he continues to produce Foreigner’s current shows and guide the arc of their farewell tour. But the man who wrote and played on “I Want to Know What Love Is” and “Feels Like the First Time” can no longer share those songs live with the audiences who grew up with them. His illness — progressive, unrelenting — has made that choice for him.

Gramm’s return is, in part, a response to that absence. A way of stepping in when the man who started it all can no longer stand in the spotlight. “I feel like I wanna help fly the flag for the band — the original band, and the current band right now, in these waning moments,” he said. “I wanna be out there as one of the original members to wave the flag.”

In 2025, Jones made a rare public appearance at the Parkinson’s Unity Walk hosted by the Michael J. Fox Foundation. There, surrounded by thousands walking to raise awareness and funds, he quietly acknowledged the fight he’s been facing for years — and which he had, until recently, kept largely private. His participation was quiet but powerful—a man who once played to sold-out stadiums now walking for something even bigger than music.

Carrying the Final Chorus

Gramm, too, is walking a line — between past and present, between celebration and elegy. His return doesn’t just reconnect Foreigner fans with a familiar voice; it gives the band’s story a sense of closure that feels personal. This isn’t a rock star comeback. It’s a gesture of respect. A tribute. A final verse to a song that’s lasted nearly five decades.

As Foreigner winds down its long and loud journey, there’s an unmistakable echo in their final shows — one voice stepping back in, another stepping aside, and a legacy that still refuses to fade.