Glam rocker Jack Russell, who fronted 1980s metal group Great White, died Thursday surrounded by family and friends at the age of 63.
The singer succumbed after battling multiple system atrophy and Lewy body dementia, Rolling Stone reported.
“Jack is loved and remembered for his sense of humor, exceptional zest for life, and unshakeable contribution to rock and roll where his legacy will forever thrive,” his family wrote in an online statement.
Founded in Los Angeles in 1977, Great White’s heyday was in the mid-1980s with the platinum-selling 1987 album “Once Bitten” and its 1989 follow-up “… Twice Shy,” featuring singles “Rock Me” and “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” which were mainstays in the early days of MTV.
Russell left the group in 1996 before it reformed in 2001 when it started touring under the name Jack Russell’s Great White.
The latter-day incarnation of Great White is infamously associated with the 2003 inferno at a Rhode Island hard rock music club that started when the group’s stage pyrotechnics ignited highly flammable acoustic foam that surrounded the venue.
The blaze killed 100 people, including guitarist Ty Longley, and injured 230 more. It remains the deadliest fireworks accident in US history.
Russell announced last month that he would be retiring from touring following his diagnosis.
“I am unable to perform at the level I desire and at the level you deserve,” Russell said on social media at the time.
“Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love, and support.”
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