Alec John Such, the original bass player for the band Bon Jovi, has recently passed away at the age of 70.

Though he left the band in 1994, he was an integral part of their success, and will be missed dearly, especially by the current band.

“We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alec John Such. He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band,” Bon Jovi posted in a Twitter statement.

“To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him – He was a childhood friend of Tico and brought Richie 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 eye. We’ll miss him dearly,” the message concluded.

They were referring to guitarist Richie Sambora and drummer Tico Torres, which Such had helped introduce the band to. In addition to helping them find hit bandmates, Such was also an integral part of their success and contributed to many of their big hits.

The band originally formed itself in 1983, with Such parting ways 11 years later. Hugh McDonald took his place as bassist. In 2018, the original band reunited at the when Bon Jovi was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. At the ceremony, Such spoke very highly of his former band, saying, “(I) love them to death. I always will.”

“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’m only too happy to have been a part of that vision,” he said in his speech at the time.

Such died on June 4, 2022 from what is believed to be natural causes. He woke up around 2:15 a.m. that morning in his South Carolina home to use the bathroom. However, he had trouble getting back to bed so he had called out to a friend who was staying him with. He helped him get back into bed, but when he went to check on his later, he had died.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Such’s family and friends at this time.

Do you remember when Such was the bassist for Bon Jovi? What’s your favorite hit that he contributed to?

[Image credit: Wikimedia.org]