Guitarist Nita Strauss will rejoin Alice Cooper for his 2023 shows after previously leaving the shock-rocker's live band to go on tour with Demi Lovato. "She's back!" Cooper announced in a statement. "Nita asked for a leave of absence to work with someone else, something I always encourage my band members to do. I like them to challenge themselves and try new things."

Cooper recruited ex-guitarist Kane Roberts, who played on 1986's Constrictor and 1987's Raise Your Fist and Yell, to fill Strauss' shoes on his fall 2022 tour. "I'm thankful to my old friend Kane Roberts for stepping up and filling in for her, but she'll be back with us for the new tour that starts up in late April," Cooper continued. "It's going to be great to have her back."

"From the studio to the stage, it's always an immense honor to make music with Alice Cooper!" Strauss said in her statement. "I'm very excited to be rejoining the band on the road for the 2023 dates, and so I'll see you on the road in April. Let the nightmare return!"

Strauss, who joined Cooper's touring band in 2014, announced last July that she would not be joining Cooper on his fall trek and revealed a few days later that she had joined Lovato's touring band. She insisted that her exit wasn't permanent, and she could see herself playing with him in 2023 if their schedules aligned.

"There's no shutting of a door and changing of the guard, it's just I'm taking a step back a little bit," Strauss told Louder. "Depending on what the schedule looks like next year, I may have the chance to come back, I may not. But it definitely doesn't feel as final to me and to the people in Alice's band and the inner circle as it has been portrayed out in the world."

Cooper has a busy touring schedule for the rest of the year, kicking off a monthlong headlining run in late April. He'll support Motley Crue and Def Leppard on a half-dozen U.S. stadium shows in August, then immediately shift gears for the Freaks on Parade co-headlining tour with Rob Zombie.

Alice Cooper Albums Ranked

You can't kill Alice Cooper.

More From Ultimate Classic Rock