Jack Sonni, a former guitarist for the British rock band Dire Straits, has died. The band announced Sonni’s death in a post on their social media on Thursday, Aug. 31, informing fans, “[Jack Sonni] Rest In Peace,” alongside a black and white of the musician, who was known as “the other guitarist” during the group’s Brothers in Arms era. Sonni was 68.
Sonni’s cause of death is not known at this time. In a post on the Dire Straits Legacy website on Aug. 28, run by former band members, it was revealed that Sonni was in poor health. The message read, “Dear fans, unfortunately, Jack Sonni will not be able to participate in our next gigs because of health problems. Jack get better soon, we are waiting for you! With love, the DSL family.” Further details of Sonni’s condition were not shared. A post on Aug. 31 confirmed his passing, reading, “Our beloved Jack has left a void in our heart and soul…we will miss you so much, you are forever with us.”
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Born in Indiana, Pennsylvania in 1954, Sonni’s love for music began in his childhood when he learned various instruments, including piano, trumpet, and the six-string, according to a post on the Dire Straits Blog. After relocating to New York in 1977, he began working at Rudy’s Music, where he met Dire Straits’ David Knopfler and Mark Knopfler. He joined one of the group’s recording sessions in 1984, contributing guitar work to the song “The Man’s Too Strong,” which was included on the 1985 album Brothers in Arms, earning him the nickname “the other guitarist.” He also played guitar synthesizer on “The Man’s Too Strong” and went on to tour with the group throughout the mid-’80s.
With Sonni as “the other guitarist” – frontman Mark Knopfler was also the band’s lead guitarist – Dire Straits went on to achieve great success. The group’s Brothers in Arms album spent 14 weeks at No. 1 in the UK and nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200. It sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, according to the band’s official website, and is credited with being the first album to sell more than one million copies in CD format, per Billboard. It won two Grammys for best music video, short form for the title track, and best rock performance by a duo or group with vocal. The subsequent tour, meanwhile, also set records, with fans in Australia purchasing more than 950,000 tickets, a record that stood for decades.
Outside of music, Sonni was also a writer and hosted the podcast The Leisure Class with Jack Sonni. News of his passing sparked a wave of tributes, with bassist John Illsle writing on Facebook, “So sorry to hear the sad news that Jack Sonni has died, we loved having him with us on the Brothers in Arms tour, fond memories.”
