Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx paid tribute to Aerosmith after the rock group announced that they were officially retiring from touring.

The bassist took to his social media page by sharing the following status:

“In 1973, a fifteen-year-old kid named Frank Feranna walked into a record store alone and emerged with the first Aerosmith album in hand. I would carry that album with me everywhere, including to friends’ houses, confessing to them that this was the future of rock ‘n’ roll.

“As the years rolled on, my opinion never changed. Lyrically, musically, rhythmically, and especially with those monster songs, Aerosmith was unparalleled. Their entire catalog is outstanding, but those first five albums were the holy grail for a young, future Nikki Sixx.

“I recently sat on the cliffs in St. Barths, playing along to those albums. Can I just say, Tom Hamilton’s work continues to inspire me, and what a rhythm section they had with Joey Kramer behind that kit. Joe Perry and Brad Whitford wove those guitars back and forth to the point you sometimes couldn’t distinguish the dueling guitars because the sound became one big kick to the side of the head. Steven Tyler, to me, has always been the ultimate singer, lyricist, and showman, but personally, he’s a man who helped me at the beginning of my sobriety. I’ve been lucky to become a peer, a friend, and always a fan of this great American rock ‘n’ roll band.

”Thank you, Aerosmith, for everything.”