Though his vocal struggles have silenced Aerosmith’s farewell tour, the lead singer’s career will forever speak volumes.

 

Steven Tyler in 1979, 1996 and 2024L-R: Chris Walter/Wireimage/Getty Images; Fred Duval/FilmMagic; Elyse Jankowski/Getty Images

With a voice as big as his personality, Aerosmith’s frontman seemed destined to become a superstar. Born Steven Tallarico in Yonkers, New York, Steven Tyler, the son of a classical musician, was surrounded by music from a young age. “One good thing my dad gave me as a gift ’cause he went to Juilliard — I grew up under the piano. So I had an ear. Not only did I know scales … [but also] the sharps and the flats, and more importantly, what lives in between notes,” he told Haute Living.

The young Steven Tyler

Rock and Roll group The Chain Reaction with future Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler (far left) pose for a portrait circa 1967 in New York CityMichael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Tyler, now 76, fell in love with rock ’n’ roll and the blues as a drummer in his teens, inspired by singers such as Janis Joplin, the first artist he ever saw in concert. By the late 60s, he’d played in bands such as Chain Reaction when an invitation to hear another young performer — Joe Perry — changed the course of both of their lives.

“I saw him, and I thought, ‘If I can take my ear that my father gave me and add it to his jam band, then I can have what magic I know the Stones had, The Who had, The Kinks had, The Beatles had,” he said. They all had … a magic element: two guys. I never had a brother, and nothing looked as cool as Joe Perry.”

With Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer, and Ray Tabano (later replaced by Brad Whitford), the duo formed Aerosmith in Boston in 1970, thrilling fans with songs like “Dream On,” “Sweet Emotion,” and “Walk This Way.”

Steven Tyler in his Aerosmith golden years

Thanks to MTV in the 80s and 90s, they later exploded with megahits “Angel,” “Cryin’,” “Crazy,” and “Janie’s Got a Gun,” the latter of which inspired Tyler’s Janie’s Fund, a foundation he launched in 2015 to help young victims of sexual abuse. “My heart feels so much better than it did back then getting a Grammy.… This saves a life,” he told Forbes about the pride he takes in the charity.

He’s also proud of Aerosmith’s ability to survive the perils of the music business. “[People] love the bad boy, the bad boys of Boston,” Tyler told Louder’s Classic Rock, though their road to success had plenty of rough patches, including infighting and a near 1979/1980 split, battles with management and record labels and debilitating addictions. “I found certain drugs I loved and didn’t stop to the point of hurting my children, hurting my life, hurting my family and hurting my band,” Tyler admitted in his 2011 memoir, Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?.

Steven Tyler and his struggles with addiction

After several rehab stints, the singer remains realistic about the challenges he still faces. “The world knows I’m a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. It’s a daily process, and I’ve got to keep my eyes open. I don’t want it to bite me in the ass,” he’s said of taking recovery one day at a time, and his four kids have rallied behind him.

Daughter Liv, whom Tyler had with Bebe Buell, once wished her “darling daddy” a happy birthday online, declaring she was “proud to walk this earth with you. To be born a part of your wolf pack.” Mia, his daughter with first wife Cyrinda Foxe, has championed his softer side, recalling how she watched him “put my son to sleep…rubbing your finger over his brow, and in that moment I knew everything was going to be alright.” (Tyler also shares daughter, Chelsea, and son, Taj, with Teresa Barrick, his wife from 1988 to 2006.)

Aerosmith and awards

Career accolades have included Aerosmith’s 2001 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and an honorary doctorate degree two years later from Boston’s Berklee College of Music. After his commencement speech, he spoke about the secret to his success as a songwriter, which would lead to his and Perry’s induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame a decade later. “I call it the dare-to-suck syndrome,” he said. “That’s how you write a song.… You’ve got to put in ten stupid things if you want to get two great out.”

He also spoke of his gratitude for his fans. “Far be it for me to be estranged by somebody that comes up to me and wants a piece of me,” noted the singer, who released a 2016 solo album titled We’re All Somebody from Somewhere.

Steven Tyler: A tribute to his fans

“It’s [all] about the fans — it’s always been about them,” he also insisted to Rolling Stone, crediting audiences with helping him and his Aerosmith bandmates through their darkest days. “We’ve been strung out and sober. We’ve sold in and we’ve sold out. Some days we didn’t even sell at all,” the two-season American Idol judge said. “We’ve toured when there were no albums, when management said, ‘You’re not gonna make any money,’ but we did.”

The band was hoping they’d continue to beat the odds when they launched their Peace Out farewell tour last year, even as Tyler struggled with vocal cord damage he’s battled for years. “I blew [my voice] out. I couldn’t sing. I couldn’t speak,” he told the Today show after one 2006 incident, which required surgery. In September 2023, though, he suffered a fractured larynx.

On August 2, 2024, in a social media post, the band announced its retirement and that it would be canceling its tour, offering, “It was 1970 when a spark of inspiration became Aerosmith. Thanks to you, our Blue Army, that spark caught flame and has been burning for over five decades. Some of you have been with us since the beginning and all of you are the reason we made rock ‘n’ roll history.

“As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other,” the band’s online post continued. “We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side. Sadly, it is clear that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary, decision — as a band of brothers — to retire from the touring stage.”

“Steve Tyler stands as one the greatest vocalists and front men of all time,” Queen’s Brian May posted online upon hearing the news. “The career of Aerosmith is truly something to celebrate forever. All things must pass — but the inspiring work of Aerosmith will live on.”