Rock legends REM announce split

21 September 2011 Last updated at 14:37 ET

Singer Michael Stipe cut a distinctive figure on stage and had a unique vocal sound

Members of legendary US rock band REM have announced they are splitting up after 31 years.

“We have decided to call it a day as a band,” the band said. “To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening.”

The group found fame with a string of albums, notably 90s hits Out of Time and Automatic for the People.

The band’s web was unavailable on Wednesday afternoon after the announcement was made.

Three of REM’s albums in the 1990s went quadruple platinum in the US, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

REM’s latest album, Collapse into Now, was released in March 2011. It was their 15th studio album.

The group was originally made up of singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and Bill Berry, who left the band in 1996.

“I hope our fans realise this wasn’t an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way,” Stipe said as he announced the split.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.

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