Alec John Such, the founding bassist in Bon Jovi, has died at 70.
“We are heartbroken,” read a message from Jon Bon Jovi shared on the band’s social media accounts on Sunday. “He was an original … Alec was integral to the formation of the band."
A cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Such booked Jon Bon Jovi & The Wild Ones to perform at the New Jersey club he managed.
"To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him," Jon Bon Jovi wrote, explaining that Such was a childhood friend of Tico Torres and brought Richie Sambora (with whom he played in a band called the Message) to see the band perform in its early days.
“Alec was always wild and full of life,” Bon Jovi wrote. “Today those special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye.”
Such played on Bon Jovi’s first five studio albums, including on hits like “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name.”
"I can picture his long black trench coat and red T-shirt in 'Runaway,'" tweeted former MTV VJ Martha Quinn. "He rocked a million faces ... He will be missed by the entire MTV generation."
Hugh McDonald, who replaced Such on bass, wrote in an Instagram post: "He was one of a kind, a true piece of work."
Such left the group in 1994 but was there in 2018 when Bon Jovi was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At the time, he said of his former bandmates: “Love them to death. Always will.”