Vale Alec John such (Bon Jovi)

**FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0** · 07-06-2022, 10:36 AM

Alec John Such, a founding member of iconic rock band Bon Jovi, has died.

He was 70.

No details on when or how he died were immediately available.

"He was an original."

"As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band."

As manager of the Hunka Bunka Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, Such booked Jon Bon Jovi & The Wild Ones before joining the singer-songwriter's band.

He played with Bon Jovi through the group's heyday in the 1980s.

Such departed the band in 1994, when he was replaced by bassist Hugh McDonald.

He was older than his bandmates, as he remarked years later in an interview for The Asbury Park Press.

"The record company used to lie about my age," he said. "I was 31 when I joined. I was a good 10 years older than the rest of the band. My sister eventually got really mad because the papers would describe her as my older sister when really she was younger."

The age gap was the reason he eventually left, he said.

"When I was 43, I started to get burned out. 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."

He later rejoined the band for its induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.

"When Jon Bon Jovi called me up and asked me to be in his band many years ago, I soon realised how serious he was and he had a vision that he wanted to bring us to," Such said at the Hall of Fame induction.

"And I am only too happy to have been a part of that vision."

https://twitter.com/BonJovi/status/1...es%2F101130398

Whilst I never really took to Alec, he played bass on Bon Jovi's first five albums with some very memorable bass lines, like the opening riff to Living on a Prayer or Keep The Faith. Bon Jovi was the band that grabbed me as a teenager and helped establish my love for music and the heavy rock genre, in particular. Alec was an integral part of that sound.

RIP Alec.

ford71V8 · 07-06-2022, 10:56 AM

Some of the comments about his leaving the band are just wrong.
To say he was the older guy and burned out is not how I recall it - the drummer was the older member and also still going strong. Unfortunately my memories are he was moved on due to poor performances, too many bum notes on stage was too distracting.
Still he had his place in the bands history and played a big role in getting Richie involved. RIP Alec, love that bass line in Keep The Faith

**FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0** · 07-06-2022, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ford71V8

Some of the comments about his leaving the band are just wrong.
To say he was the older guy and burned out is not how I recall it - the drummer was the older member and also still going strong. Unfortunately my memories are he was moved on due to poor performances, too many bum notes on stage was too distracting.
Still he had his place in the bands history and played a big role in getting Richie involved. RIP Alec, love that bass line in Keep The Faith

Yeah, I remember at the time he left the band (whether it be pushed or by choice) there were lots of rumours going around that Alec wasn't that good a bassist, especially in the studio, and that all of the studio work was actually performed by Hugh. Alec was used as the 'face' of the bass and did the touring duties. Have no idea as to how true any of that actually is.

And yes, I also recall that Tico was considered the 'old man' of the band, but, according to wikipedia, he was born 2 years after Alec!

And just for the heck of it

ford71V8 · 07-06-2022, 01:34 PM

Quote:

And yes, I also recall that Tico was considered the 'old man' of the band, but, according to wikipedia, he was born 2 years after Alec!

Well there you go....PR spin strikes again :-)

But yes, it seems to be that Hugh was the guy doing lots of the studio work.
Nothing new in music.
(Poor Jon will be looking for a new vocalist soon if he doesn't work out whatever is going with his voice / himself. Some recent footage is concerning)