R.I.P.: Alec John Such, Bon Jovi Founding Member

 

Alec John Such (1952-2022)

Alec John Such, Bon Jovi’s founding bassist, has died at the age of 70, the band announced on social media Sunday. A cause of death has not been released, reports TheWrap.

Alec, you will be missed pic.twitter.com/ilfTeYyQhR

— Bon Jovi (@BonJovi) June 5, 2022

Born in Yonkers, New York, on Nov. 14, 1951, Such first played with Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora in a band called The Message. As a manager of the Hunka Bunka Ballroom in the 1980s, he booked John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones, eventually bringing experienced drummer Torres and Sambora into the group. Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan joined as well, having known Torres through an earlier band, Atlantic City Expressway.

Such remained as a key member in the band before his departure in 1994 — the first lineup change in the group — when he was replaced by unofficial bassist Hugh McDonald. He told the same outlet that he felt “burned out” at 43 and no longer wanted to perform since it “felt like work.” At the time, frontman Jon Bon Jovi said the departure “hurt,” but was unsurprising and a long time coming.

However, Such reunited with the band in 2018, at Bon Jovi’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.