Metallica Singer James Hetfield Enters Rehab

Rather than letting fans hear about it through the grapevine, Metallica has made an announcement on their official Web site (www.metallica.com) that lead singer James Hetfield is entering rehab for alcohol and other addictions.

Metallica's full post on their site on Thursday (July 19) is:

To Our Friends:
We would like you all to know that James Hetfield has entered a rehabilitation facility to undergo treatment for alcoholism and other addictions. James has entered an undisclosed facility, and he will continue to receive treatment until further notice. Until then, we have postponed all current activities, including recording sessions for our new album, as well as the July 29th launch party for metallica.com. We have always thought of you all as family, and wanted you to know before this information gets out through other sources. James is working hard toward recovery, and, needless to say, he has our full support. We trust that you will appreciate the sensitive nature of this matter, and respect our wishes to give James the time and privacy he needs to deal with his problems.
Until then, thank you in advance for keeping James in your thoughts and prayers, and we look forward to continuing to share music with you in the future. According to the band's publicist at Elektra Records, Metallica "has been working in the studio off and on for a couple of months now. As for the bass player situation, they're working without one at the present moment, and I know of no plans to remedy the situtation as of yet."