Axl Rose Sues Former Manager Over 'Secret Plan' to Force GNR Reunion

Most music fans would love to see the classic Guns N' Roses lineup reunite, sure, but everybody also knows by now that bandleader Axl Rose will have none of it. However, according to Rose, that common knowledge wasn't enough to stop his former manager, Irving Azoff, from trying his best to get the old band back together. The extent to which he attempted to do so instigated Rose, on Monday, to file a significant lawsuit against him to the tune of $5 million. This is actually a countersuit against Azoff who is suing Rose for $1.9 million in unpaid management fees. Rose is the only original member of the band.

Rose claims that Azoff used deception and even sabotage during GNR's 'Chinese Democracy' cycle to try to achieve his goal. According to a report on TMZ, Rose directly accuses Azoff of "devising and implementing a secret plan to set up Rose and the band for failure so that Rose would have no choice but to reunite with the original Guns N' Roses members."

Furthermore, Rose's countersuit says that the initial lawsuit Azoff filed against him in March uses Rose's adopted childhood name, William Bailey, in an attempt to inflict additional distress on the musician. In 1986, Rose legally changed his name to W. Axl Rose and, according to the suit, has confided to Azoff in the past that his former name "carries significant emotional damage."

Through a spokesperson, Azoff tells Spinner, "On advice of counsel, I cannot respond at this time but will discuss in my upcoming book, 'My Life with William Bill Bailey'."

In addition to formerly managing GNR, Azoff is the executive chairman of Live Nation Entertainment and is something of a power management guru: past and current clients include the Eagles, Neil Diamond and Van Halen. No word on his involvement in past Van Halen reunions.