Editing Axl Rose (section)

{{short description|American singer (born 1962)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Axl Rose
| image             = Glasto2023 (239 of 468) (53009325175) (cropped).jpg
| caption           = Rose in 2023
| alt               = 
| birth_name        = William Bruce Rose Jr.
| alias             = {{unbulleted list|W. Axl Rose| William Bruce Bailey|Bill Bailey}}
| birth_date        = {{Birth date and age|1962|2|6}}
| birth_place       = [[Lafayette, Indiana]], U.S.
| origin            = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Hard rock]]
* [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]]
* [[glam metal]]
* [[blues rock]]
* [[industrial rock]]<ref>{{cite book|author1=Slash|last2=Bozza|first2=Anthony|title=Slash|date=October 30, 2007|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-135142-6|pages=110–111}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Adler|first1=Steven|author2=Lawrence J. Apopei|title=My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N' Roses|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1O3wuV4QBEAC|date=July 27, 2010|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-06-191711-0|pages=94–95}}</ref>
}}
| instrument        = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* piano}}
| years_active      = 1983–present
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
* Singer
* songwriter
* musician
}}
| current_member_of = {{flatlist|
* [[Guns N' Roses]]
}}
| past_member_of    = {{flatlist|
* {{nowrap|[[Hollywood Rose]]}}
* [[L.A. Guns]]
* [[Rapidfire]]
* [[AC/DC]]
}}
| spouse            = {{marriage|Erin Everly|1990|1991|end=annulled}}
| website           = {{URL|axlrose.com}}
| module            = {{Infobox person|embed=yes
| signature = Axl_Rose_signature_trans.png
}}
}}

'''W. Axl Rose''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|æ|k|s|@l}} {{respell|AK|səl}}; born '''William Bruce Rose Jr.''', February 6, 1962)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Monitor|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=February 8, 2013|issue=1245|page=22}}</ref> is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of the [[hard rock]] band [[Guns N' Roses]], and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://popspoken.com/entertainment/2016/10/guns-n-roses-coming-to-singapore-the-best-of-reactions|title=Guns 'N' Roses Are Officially Coming To Singapore: Super Epic Reactions From The Internet|publisher=Popspoken|date=October 13, 2016|access-date=May 12, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412104009/http://popspoken.com/entertainment/2016/10/guns-n-roses-coming-to-singapore-the-best-of-reactions|archive-date=April 12, 2017}}</ref> Possessing a distinctive and powerful wide-ranging voice,<ref name="rollingstone.com">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/axl-rose-responds-to-list-calling-him-worlds-greatest-singer-124867/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619202559/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/axl-rose-responds-to-list-calling-him-worlds-greatest-singer-20140528|title=Axl Rose Picks His Favorite Singers|first1=Kory|last1=Grow|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=May 28, 2014|archive-date=June 19, 2017}}</ref> Rose has been named one of the greatest singers of all time by various media outlets, including ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', ''[[NME]]'' and ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Lethem|first=Jonathan|title=100 Greatest Singers of All Time|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=November 27, 2008|access-date=June 3, 2011|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/axl-rose-19691231 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709154144/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/axl-rose-19691231 |archive-date=July 9, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=Michael Jackson tops NME's Greatest Singers poll|magazine=[[NME]]|date=June 21, 2011|access-date=July 10, 2011|url=https://www.nme.com/news/michael-jackson/57469|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110627082454/http://www.nme.com/news/michael-jackson/57469|archive-date=June 27, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last1=Unterberger |first1=Katie Atkinson, Katie Bain, Eric Renner Brown, Kyle Denis, Frank DiGiacomo, Thom Duffy, Ingrid Fajardo, Paul Grein, Lyndsey Havens, Jason Lipshutz, Joe Lynch, Taylor Mims, Melinda Newman, Isabela Raygoza, Andrew |last2=Atkinson |first2=Katie |last3=Bain |first3=Katie |last4=Brown |first4=Eric Renner |last5=Denis |first5=Kyle |last6=DiGiacomo |first6=Frank |last7=Duffy |first7=Thom |last8=Fajardo |first8=Ingrid |last9=Grein |first9=Paul |date=August 16, 2023 |title=The 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/best-rock-singers-bands-lead-vocalists/ |access-date=August 18, 2023 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

Born and raised in [[Lafayette, Indiana]], Rose moved to Los Angeles, California, in the early 1980s, where he became active in the local hard rock scene and joined several bands, including [[Hollywood Rose]] and [[L.A. Guns]]. In 1985, he co-founded Guns N' Roses, with whom he had great success and recognition in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Their first album, ''[[Appetite for Destruction]]'' (1987), has sold in excess of 30 million copies worldwide<ref name=Smith>{{cite news|url=http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/19/2494907_american-masters-highlights-david.html|title='American Masters' highlights David Geffen's influence but only hints at a dark side|first=Sara|last=Smith|newspaper=[[The Kansas City Star]]|date=November 18, 2012|access-date=March 11, 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309044138/http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/11/19/2494907_american-masters-highlights-david.html|archive-date=March 9, 2014}}</ref><ref name=Havelock>{{cite magazine|url=http://news.qthemusic.com/2012/08/column_-_still_hungry_25_years.html|title=Column - Still hungry? 25 years of Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction|first=Laurie|last=Havelock|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|date=August 9, 2012|access-date=March 11, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311063307/http://news.qthemusic.com/2012/08/column_-_still_hungry_25_years.html|archive-date=March 11, 2014}}</ref> and is the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S. with 18 million units sold. Rose's high-profile relationships with Erin Everly and [[Stephanie Seymour]] in the late 1980s and early '90s inspired multiple songs, including the number one hit "[[Sweet Child o' Mine]]". However allegations of abuse by Rose caused significant controversy,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-bye-bye-love-vol-42-no-3/|title=Bye Bye Love|website=Peoplemag}}</ref> as did the band's next release ''[[G N' R Lies]]'' (1988) due to his inclusion of multiple slurs on the song "[[One in a Million (Guns N' Roses song)|One in a Million]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/guns-n-roses-most-offensive-song-in-music/|title=Guns N' Roses wrote the most offensive song in popular music|date=June 24, 2023|website=faroutmagazine.co.uk}}</ref>

Guns N' Roses' next releases, the twin albums ''[[Use Your Illusion I]]'' and ''[[Use Your Illusion II]]'' (1991), were widely successful; debuting at No.{{nbsp}}2 and No.{{nbsp}}1 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and sold a combined 35 million copies worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tsort.info/music/faq_album_sales.htm|title=Which albums had the highest number of worldwide sales?|access-date=March 14, 2012|date=December 15, 2007|publisher=TSORT|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327070348/http://tsort.info/music/faq_album_sales.htm|archive-date=March 27, 2012}}</ref> Controversy followed Rose during the two-and-a-half-year [[Use Your Illusion Tour]], with riots (including his arrest for inciting the [[Riverport Riot]]), rants against the media and bandmates between songs, and feuds with other artists including [[Metallica]] and [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/axl-rose-feud-with-metallica/|title=Understanding Axl Rose's feud with Metallica - Far Out Magazine|date=October 26, 2022|website=faroutmagazine.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/axl-rose-kurt-cobain-rock-feud/|title=Rock Feuds: Axl Rose vs. Kurt Cobain|first=Corey|last=Irwin|date=May 18, 2022|website=Ultimate Classic Rock}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.939xindy.com/2021/06/21/few-tours-had-more-controversy-than-the-gnr-use-your-illusion-tour/|title=Few Tours Had More Controversy Than The GNR Use Your Illusion Tour|date=June 21, 2021|website=939X Indy's Rock Station - WNDX-FM}}</ref> The punk covers album ''[["The Spaghetti Incident?"]]'' (1993) failed to match the success of previous albums, with Rose's cover of a [[Charles Manson]] song gaining notoriety.

After the tour, in 1994, Rose disappeared from public eye while Guns N' Roses stalled on making a new album. The band started to fall apart due to personal and musical differences, primarily between Rose and lead guitarist [[Slash (musician)|Slash]]. By the time work on a new album was underway in 1998, only Rose and keyboardist [[Dizzy Reed]] remained from the previous tour lineup. In 2001, Rose, the only remaining original member, resurfaced alongside the new lineup of Guns N' Roses at [[Rock in Rio 3]], and subsequently played the decade-long [[Chinese Democracy Tour]] to promote the long-delayed ''[[Chinese Democracy]]'' (2008), [[List of most expensive albums|the most expensive rock album]] to ever be produced.<ref name="AllMusic Biography">{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|title=Guns N' Roses Biography|website=AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/guns-n-roses-p4416/biography|access-date=December 18, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20111220091752/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/guns-n-roses-p4416/biography|archive-date=December 20, 2011}}</ref>

In 2012, Rose was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as a member of Guns N' Roses, though he requested exclusion from the Hall. Rose's longstanding public feud with Slash ended when Slash and bassist [[Duff McKagan]] rejoined Guns N' Roses in 2016 for the record-breaking [[Not in This Lifetime... Tour]]. Also in 2016, Rose toured with [[AC/DC]] as a fill-in vocalist for two dozen shows. The NITL tour lineup of Guns N' Roses [[We're F'N' Back! Tour|continued touring]] in 2020, as well as occasionally released new singles.