In mid-2002, due to his aversion to touring, Tobias was replaced in the band by Richard Fortus. At the time it was not officially stated that Tobias had left Guns N' Roses, although neither his name or work was mentioned for several years. When the band released "Chinese Democracy" in 2008 it became evident that despite his lack of touring, he had recorded several guitar and piano pieces and wrote songs for the album along with the other band members, and featured heavily on the final product.