Richard Fortus (born November 17, 1966) is a professional guitarist who is most famous for being rhythm guitarist in Guns N' Roses.
Originally from Saint Louis, Fortus cut his teeth throughout the Midwest with his band, The Eyes. The four-piece alternative band independently released "Freedom in a Cage", which was produced by David Probst. They became hugely popular for their live shows as they mixed their originals with underground covers from such bands as Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bauhaus. Drawing from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan, the flamboyant and original Fortus led The Eyes into being a premiere act dominated by their dark image, high energy, and fantastically produced sound. They were eventually signed by Atlantic Records, where they changed their name to Pale Divine and subsequently toured the U.S. with The Psychedelic Furs in support of their only album, 'Straight to Goodbye'.
After The Psychedelic Furs split up, Fortus formed Love Spit Love with Richard Butler and Tim Butler. When The Furs reformed in 2000, Fortus joined the group as second guitarist and played on the live album 'Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live'.
Fortus has since left The Furs and is now a member of Guns N' Roses, replacing Axl Rose's childhood friend Paul Tobias. In Guns N' Roses, Richard plays both rhythm and lead guitar. Axl is very pleased with Richard's work and has said, "He's an amazing lead player and very technically skilled. He really likes the pocket that Brain sets and the two of them click with Tommy so we finally have the real deal rhythm section, as Richard is a proven professional. Basically, Richard's the guy that we always were looking for."
On November 5, 2005, Richard's wife, Jen Fortus, gave birth to a baby daughter. Her name is Paisley Piper Fortus.
