AC/DC has confirmed that while the band is not retiring, guitarist Malcolm Young is in fact suffering from a health crisis that will force him to step away from the band.

"After forty years of life dedicated to AC/DC, guitarist and founding member Malcolm Young is taking a break from the band due to ill health. Malcolm would like to thank the group's diehard legions of fans worldwide for their never-ending love and support," reads a statement from the band released Wednesday. "In light of this news, AC/DC asks that Malcolm and his family's privacy be respected during this time.  The band will continue to make music."

Frontman Brian Johnson, tells Wednesday's edition of London's Telegraph newspaper, "We are definitely getting together in May in Vancouver.  We're going to pick up some guitars, have a plonk, and see if anybody has got any tunes or ideas. If anything happens, we'll record it."

AC/DC's last album, 2008's Black Ice, was a huge success, and the tour that followed was one of the highest-grossing in history, according to Billboard.

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