How Tom DeLonge's divorce and Mark Hoppus' cancer battle brought Blink-182 back together

23 August 2024, 16:00

As the One More Time rockers headline Reading & Leeds this weekend, we look back at how tragedy brought their classic line-up back together.

Blink-182 are set to headline Reading and Leeds 2024 this weekend.

The pop-punk trio will bring their classic line-up to the main stage at Reading's Richfield Avenue on Friday 23rd August and Leeds' Bramham Park on Saturday 24th August, treating fans to a career-spanning set of their biggest hits and singles from their 2023 album One More Time as well as its forthcoming Deluxe version One More Time... Part 2.

The band - completed by Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker - have been touring the world since 2023, after they announced the return of Tom DeLonge in 2022, but for a while it looked like they'd never get back together.

DeLonge left Blink in 2015 and was replaced by Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba, who served as the co-lead vocalist on the band from 2015 - 2022 and even released two albums with the rockers; California in 2016 and Nine in 2019.

They seemed pretty comfortable, but things started to grow awfully quiet, with even Skiba unsure of his fate was when it came to the band. Slowly but surely rumours started to grow that tensions were thawing between DeLonge, Hoppus and Barker.

It's clear Barker and Hoppus were more friendly with DeLonge again, but what had changed?

It might surprise you to know it was personal tragedy experienced by each of band's founding members that inevitably led to the band performing as they are today. Find out why here...

READ MORE:

• Why did Tom DeLonge leave Blink-182?
• Here's what Blink 182 played at Coachella 2023...

How did Blink-182's classic line-up reunite?

Tom DeLonge explained that his divorce with his now ex-wife Jennifer was the the initial reason he called ex-bandmate and Blink-182 co-founder Mark Hoppus. The Tom and Jennifer were parting ways after being married from 2001 - 2019 and it was admin over his divorce papers that actually led him to reach out.

DeLonge told Apple Music: "The way the universe works is strange because I reached out to Mark because I needed him to sign this piece of paper that had to do with my divorce".

Little did DeLonge know when he went to make the call, but Hoppus had been diagnosed with stage four cancer.

The All The Small Things singer continued: "Only because of that call did I learn he had cancer. And he told me on the phone. I was like, 'Wait, what?' And we weren’t really talking much at all, maybe once every couple of months, a little text here and there.

"But now, we talk multiple times a day. So it’s like we’ve been able to completely repair that friendship and really cut to the depth of who we are as people and what this is all about. And he’s had a really difficult time, but he’s doing really good right now, in the sense of where the cancer is gone, as far as we know, and the chemo worked really well."

Hoppus was very open about his battle, first revealing his diagnosis in July 2021 on his Instagram Stories.

At the time, he wrote: "For the past three months I've been undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. I have cancer."

The All The Small Things star added: "It sucks and I'm scared, and at the same time I'm blessed with incredible doctors and family and friends to get me through this.

"I still have months of treatment ahead of me but I'm trying to remain hopeful and positive."Can't wait to be cancer free and see you all at a concert in the near future. Love to you all."

Hoppus also shared an image of himself in hospital with the words: "Yes hello. One cancer treatment please".

Hoppus later went into more detail, sharing updates and telling fans in an online Q&A: "My official classification is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma stage 4-A. As I understand it, it’s entered enough parts of my body that I’m stage four, which is, I think, the highest that it goes."

As the world rushed to support him online, both Barker and DeLonge shared their words of encouragement, with the original co-singer revealing he'd known for quite some time.

He shared with his followers on Twitter: "I too, have been aware of @markhoppus’s cancer diagnosis for awhile now. And to add to his own words that he used today, I would also like to say that he is strong, and a super-human who is pushing through this difficult obstacle with a wide-open heart."

In September 2021, Hoppus announced he was cancer-free, and - though his hair had grown back grey after chemotherapy and he had to teach himself how to play bass again - the Blink rocker was fighting fit.

While we will never know if Tom and Mark would have ever fully healed their relationship had Tom not called him about signing paperwork for his divorce, it's probably fair to say that it may not have happened as quickly.

Tragedy and loss has a funny way of making people realise what's important to them. And luckily for Hoppus, he was able to survive stage four cancer and mend his relationship with his ex-bandmate and old friend.

But it still might have not been the reunion we see today if Barker wasn't also undergoing huge change as well. In August 2021, the drummer flew on a plane for the first time since the fatal plane crash in 2008, which killed four and left him with third degree burns over 65% of his body.

His friend Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein also survived the crash, but died one year later due to an overdose.

For this reason, whenever Blink toured, Barker would travel the long way round, meaning a fast-paced world tour was never truly possible and certainly not one that included Australia.

The drummer shared brutal pictures of his injuries in his memoir Can I Say: Living Large, Cheating Death, And Drums, Drums, Drums and he revealed that part of the reason for this was to make DeLonge understand how severe his trauma was.

"I got those pictures [taken] because Tom, especially, was pressuring me to fly again," he told Radio X. "I tried to explain it to him, like ‘I can’t do it yet, I’m not ready’.

"So I ended up showing Tom and Mark (Hoppus), although Mark was always very supportive from day one. He even visited me in the hospital [...] Whereas, with Tom, there was constant pressure."

As luck would have it, Barker had met his now-wife Kourtney Kardashian, who he credits for getting him back in the air again.

13 years after the horrific accident, the Dammit sticksman shared a snap of himself with the Keeping Up With The Kardashian star outside a private jet.

He captioned it: "With you anything is possible."

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A post shared by travisbarker (@travisbarker)

So while Mark and Tom were healing their friendship, Travis was facing his biggest fear and and in turn opening up the possibility of them touring the world as a trio again.

Blink-182 went onto play their first reunion show at Coachella 2023 and then toured their brand new album across the world with a string of dates, which included a UK tour and two consecutive nights at The O2, London.

Now the band are returning to Blighty for a duo of headline sets at Reading and Leeds, 14 years after having last played the festival in 2010.

It may have taken then quite a while to get back there... but we reckon after what they've been through... they'll enjoy it a whole lot more.

Blink 182 perform One More Time at The O2, London

READ MORE:

• Tom DeLonge: Blink 182's new album is "the best we've ever made"
• When Mark Hoppus wasn't recognised by Blink 182 fans in London