Alec John Such, the founding bassist for Bon Jovi, died this weekend. The band shared the sad news with fans on Instagram. He was 70. John Such left the band in 1994, just before they released their 1995 album These Days. John Such’s cause of death is unknown.
“We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alex John Such,” the band said in a statement. “He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band. To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him.” John Such was a childhood friend of drummer Tico Torres and introduced the other members to guitarist Richie Sambora.
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“Alec was always wild and full of life,” the group’s statement continued. “Today those special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. We’ll miss him dearly.”
Bon Jovi formed in the early 1980s after Jon Bon Joviย attemptedto get a solo career going. John Such was the manager of the Hunka Bunka Ballroom in Sayerville, New Jersey, and booked Jon Bon Jovi & The Wild Ones. He saw potential in the band and introduced Bon Jovi to Sambora and Torres. Bon Jovi also brought in David Bryan. They released their self-titled first album in 1984 and their popularity exploded when their third album, Slippery When Wet, was released. The last album to feature Bon Jovi, Such, Sambora, Torres, and David Bryan was 1992’s Keep the Faith. Such left the band in 1994, marking the first line-up change in Bon Jovi’s history. He was replaced by Hugh McDonald.
During a 2000 interview with The Asbury Park Press, Such pointed out that he was much older than the other members of the band. Their success and constant performing began to take a toll. “When I was 43, I started to get burned out,” he said, via Variety. “It felt like work, and I didn’t want to work. The reason I got into a band, to begin with, is because I didn’t want to work.”
Such was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018, alongside the rest of Bon Jovi. “When Jon Bon Jovi called me up and asked me to be in his band many years ago, I soon realized how serious he was and he had a vision that he wanted to bring us to, and I am too happy to have been a part of that vision,” Such said during the induction ceremony. “These guys are the best. We had so many great times together and we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for those guys. Love them to death and always will.”
