Alec John Such dies: Bon Jovi’s founding bassist turned 70
Bassist Alec John Such, a founding member of Bon Jovi, has died at the age of 70, Jon Bon Jovi announced on social media today (June 5). A cause of death is still unknown.
“We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alec John Such,” wrote Bon Jovi. “He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was an integral part of the band’s formation. … To be honest, we found each other through him – he was a childhood friend of Tico’s [Torres] and brought Richie [Sambora] to see us perform. Alec was always wild and full of life. Today, those special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eyes. We will miss him very much.”
Born on November 14, 1951 in Yonkers, New York, John Such played in a previous band with Sambora, The Message before eventually joining Bon Jovi. In the early 1980s, John Such was the manager of what was then the Hunka Bunka Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. There he booked Jon Bon Jovi & The Wild Ones and saw the potential of a young musician on a mission.
John Such brought Torres and Sambora into the band, while Bon Jovi brought in his childhood friend David Bryan, who was part of a previous band, Atlantic City Expressway. The band’s third album, Slippery When Wet, ended up selling 12 million copies, and its follow-up, 1988’s New Jersey, garnered even more hits.
“The record company used to lie about my age,” John Such told The Asbury Park Press in 2000. “I was 31 when I started. I was a good 10 years older than the rest of the band. My sister ended up getting really mad because the newspapers called her my older sister when she was actually younger.”
John Such remained with the band before his departure in 1994. He was replaced by bassist Hugh McDonald, who became an official member of the band in 2016.
“When I was 43, I started to burn out,” he said in this interview. “It felt like work and I didn’t want to work. The reason I ended up in a band initially is because I didn’t want to work.”
Back in 1994, Bon Jovi compared Such’s departure to that of Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones.
“They just grew in different directions. It’s understandable…just because I want to keep making records doesn’t mean everyone else has to do it,” Bon Jovi said.
When the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, John Such was reunited with the group and gave an eloquent speech.
“When Jon Bon Jovi called me many years ago and asked me to be in his band I quickly realized how serious he was and he had a vision that he wanted us to take and I’m too happy to have one Being part of that vision,” he said.
He continued, “These guys are the best. We’ve had so many great times together and we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for these guys. Love her to death and always will.”
The band shared the clip of his speech, along with a montage by John Such on his signature song “Blood on Blood,” a song he occasionally took lead vocals on at live shows.
Alec, you are missed pic.twitter.com/ilfTeYyQhR
– Bon Jovi (@BonJovi) June 5, 2022
– Bon Jovi (@BonJovi) June 5, 2022
https://variety.com/2022/music/news/alec-john-such-bon-jovi-bassist-dead-1235285223/ Alec John Such dies: Bon Jovi’s founding bassist turned 70
