Contactmusic.com is reporting:

The man behind AEROSMITH's 1980s comeback has urged the band to continue without Steven Tyler - and call on LENNY KRAVITZ to join them as frontman.

Tyler recently announced his plans to take a hiatus, but guitarist Joe Perry and his bandmates insist they're not waiting around for the frontman - and they want to get started on new material for a 2010 album and tour.

And now former Geffen Records executive John Kalodner has urged the bandmates to stop bickering and find a replacement for Tyler.

He says, "I was talking to Marty Frederickson about this because he co-wrote Jaded and worked with them for ten years or so. We were talking about how no one can replace Steven Tyler, but the only person he said - and I agreed with - that could even make Aerosmith anything would be Lenny Kravitz.

"If you're asking me, is there Aerosmith without Steven Tyler, my answer is no."

Perry and bandmate Brad Whitford have confirmed they will be scouting for replacements. Whitford says, "You're never gonna fill the shoes of Steven Tyler. Not even possible. So we're not even thinking in terms of filling his shoes. But there may be some people willing to try, and hopefully we do something creative with it, you know, and not just go out there and be like an Aerosmith cover band."