This year, the popular pop-punk band, Blink-182 is celebrating 30 years and some social media posts have fans wondering if there will be a possible reunion with some of the original members.
In 2015, vocalist-guitarist Tom DeLonge left the popular band of the late ’90s, Blink-182. A few years later, DeLonge’s co-founder, Mark Hoppus, has also stepped away as a result of his cancer diagnosis.
The original trio consisting of guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, and drummer Scott Raynor was founded in 1992. When DeLonge made the decision to step away, he was released by Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba, who was featured on the band’s albums California, in 2016 and NINE in 2019. Travis Barker also joined the pop punk band in 1998 as their drummer.
The band had not reconnected with DeLonge until Hoppus was diagnosed with stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in April 2021. Before he began his chemotherapy, Barker and DeLonge paid their friend and bandmate a visit in his home, showing that against all odds, they will always be a family who is there for each other in hard times.
“It was the first time that all three of us were in the same room in like five years,” Hoppus told PEOPLE. “It’s actually better than it used to be. There was no agenda. There were no lingering grudges. It felt very back to what it should be: three friends sitting in a room.”
As of September, Hoppus can officially say he is cancer free. He was also cleared to get back to work, which he has happily taken advantage of by writing a book, launching a record company called Verswire and hosting his radio show on Apple Music.
“Today I’m doing good,” he said. “The recovery is taking a lot longer than I had hoped, but I am in a much better place. I feel like I have a second shot at life.”
Throughout his entire cancer journey, he received messages of love and support from his bandmates, fans and of course, his wife Skye, his mom and his 20-year-old son Jack.
With news that the band might be getting back together for their anniversary, recent social media posts have fans hopeful in thinking that DeLonge might be part of that equation. The excitement really grew when people began to notice that he added Blink 182 back into his Instagram bio that now reads “I make music (Blink 182 and Angels & airwaves).”
In July, DeLonge also shared a black and white throwback photo of the band. The post received comments from fans saying, “is this a sign?” and “What does this mean??”
Unfortunately, there have been no updates or comments on the speculations, but Hoppus shared that he isn’t opposed to any changes or reunions that may come.
“I keep writing music, and I’m open to whatever the next phase of Blink is,” he says. “I’m hopeful for the future. I’m just damn glad to be here.”
“I still feel like I’m in my 20s, skateboarding and being an idiot,” he added. “In reality, I’m 50 years old and glad to be alive.”
Blink-182 currently have no scheduled tour dates, according to their official website.
