Alec John Such, a founding member of Bon Jovi, died yesterday at the age of 70. The band revealed the news on Twitter on Sunday:
“We are devastated to learn of the death of our good friend Alec John Such. He was a one-of-a-kind. Alec was a founding member of Bon Jovi and was instrumental in the band’s inception.”
His death reason is still unclear. Bon Jovi shared a video of a live performance of their song Blood On Blood, as well as photos and film from his time with his bandmates, including vocalist Jon Bon Jovi and keyboardist David Bryan.
Everything you need to know about Alec John Such
Alec John Such, born on November 14, 1951, was a founding member of Sambora and The Message. He was the manager of the Hunka Bunka Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, in the early 1980s. He recruited Torres and Sambora, while Bon Jovi recruited his boyhood buddy David Bryan, who had previously been a member of the Atlantic City Expressway. In an interview with a news station in 2000, John Such said,
“My record label used to lie about my age. When I joined, I was 31 years old. I was at least a decade older than the rest of the band. My sister finally became enraged because the media referred to her as my elder sister although she was really younger.”
Hugh McDonald took over as bassist when John Such departed the band in 1994. He began to feel burnout around the age of 43, according to him. He also said that the reason he formed a band was that he did not want to work. Bon Jovi’s first two albums and first single, Runaway, were released in 1984 and 1985, respectively. In 1986, they achieved success with their third album, Slippery When Wet. Since then, the band has issued 16 studio albums, five compilations, and three live albums, selling over 130 million copies worldwide.
Twitter users pay tribute
Alec John Such acquired a household name as a member of Bon Jovi. When word of his death broke, Twitter was inundated with condolences:
Always sad to hear of someone’s passing, but when it’s an original member of My favourite band Bon Jovi it really is a sad day. I had the pleasure of meeting him once and he was a great guy. RIP Alec John Such! #RIP #BonJovi #alecjohnsuch #bonjoviforever https://t.co/5YwpMTqkYJ
— craig whetton (@wetone79) June 5, 2022
RIP former and original @BonJovi bassist Alec John Such.
— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) June 5, 2022