Why Did Richie Sambora Leave Bon Jovi?
Bon Jovi just released a new album, 2020. Jon was asked in a recent interview, what would you have done differently? “Very few things — honest to god, very few things. Some things happened that are the catalyst for why other good things happen,” he says. Talking about Sambora, he continues, There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t wish that he had his life together and was still in the band.”
This made me ask, why, exactly, did Richie leave the band? Here’s what I found: Richie left the band in 2013. He said, “I really needed to take some time to be with my daughter,” he stated. “She needed me and I needed her, actually.” Richie left the band in the middle of their 2013 tour. He has also said that it became harder to leave his life and would have liked more time between tours, but since leaving in 2013, he has only played once with Bon Jovi: their 2018 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Do you feel like Jon’s recent comments align with Richie’s reason for leaving? It had to be a really big pain to have Richie leave while on tour. Jon and Richie worked together for 30 years. Most all of Bon Jovi’s hits were written by Jon and Richie working together (with Desmond Child).
Do you feel like something is missing from this puzzle? After seven years, it sounds (in my opinion) like Jon is still not right with Richie leaving. Thoughts?
