After 31 years, 15 studio albums, dozens of hits, and an indelible impression left on the alternative rock movement, R.E.M. announced on Wednesday they are splitting up.. In a message on the band's official website, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills expressed their gratitude for the loyalty of their fans over the years.

"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening."

The news of R.E.M.'s sunset as a band comes just six months after the release of their 15th and final album, "Collapse Into Now," which has sold 142,000 copies, bringing the band's total album sales since the beginning of the Nielsen SoundScan era to 19.3 million.

In addition to the band's commercial success, their music has generally been very well received among critics, and the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.