For 27 years, Matt Cameron was the drumming backbone of Pearl Jam, whom he joined back in 1988 after his former (great) band Soundgarden split up. Yet, with a surprise announcement on social media (July 7, 2025), Cameron, who is 62 years old, wrote that he is departing Pearl Jam.
“After 27 fantastic years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser for the mighty Pearl Jam. Much love and respect to Jeff, Ed, Mike, and Stone for inviting me into the band in 1998 and for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime, one filled with friendships, artistry, challenges, and laughter.”
“I am forever grateful to the crew, staff, and fans the world over,” he continued. “It’s been an incredible journey. More to follow. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”
Drummer Matt Cameron exits Pearl Jam after 27 years
Soon after, the band followed with a statement of their own: “From being one of our first musical heroes in the bands Skin Yard and the mighty Soundgarden to playing on our first demos in 1990, Matt Cameron has been a singular and true powerhouse of a musician and drummer. He has propelled the last 27 years of Pearl Jam live shows and studio recordings. It was a deeply important chapter for our group and we wish him well always. He will be deeply missed and is forever our friend in art and music. We love you Matt.”
Cameron had quite an illustrious career so far. Moving from San Diego to Seattle in 1983, he built a name for himself with his ability to adapt to any rhythm or time signature, from simple to complex without blinking an eye. In 1986 he joined Soundgarden, one of grunge pioneers in their own right.
Still with Soundgarden, Cameron became friends with future Pearl Jam members Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, and Mike McCready, with whom he played on the early demos that would appear on Pearl Jam’s debut, Ten (1991).
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When the original Pearl Jam drummer, Jack Irons, left the band, Cameron, who was a free agent at the time, joined the band on a permanent basis, but also had a double duty with Soundgarden when the band reunited in 2010.
As a member of the band, Cameron got inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017, with David Letterman (reportedly a big fan of the band) doing the honors at that year’s ceremony.
The reasons for the induction were quite numerous for the band and Cameron personally, as Pearl Jam has landed 14 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 overall in its career thus far, including “Last Kiss,” which peaked at No. 2.
As far as the albums are concerned, the band has 13 top 10 albums on the all-genre list throughout its career so far, including No. 1 sets Vs. (five weeks in 1993), Vitalogy (one week, 1994), No Code (two weeks, 1996), Backspacer (one week, 2009), and Lightning Bolt (one week, 2013).
As far as Soundgarden's discography, Cameron played on all six of the band’s albums, of which three went platinum: Badmotorfinger (1991), Superunknown (1994), and Down on the Upside (1996).
It is also of note that Cameron was the drummer for the one-off project Temple of the Dog (1990), recorded as a tribute to late Mother Love Bone singer Andrew Wood, featuring on vocals the not-so-well-known singer, Eddie Vedder.
Cameron’s versatility brought him a serious reputation, and he became a sought-after session man, as he, for example, provided drum loops for Prodigy’s album The Fat of the Land (1997) and played drums on Geddy Lee’s first solo album My Favourite Headache (2000).
Since Pearl Jam has the rest of 2025 off as far as live appearances are concerned, they have time to decide on Cameron’s replacement.