Jon Bon Jovi hasn't spoken to Richie Sambora in over a decade. The "Livin' on a Prayer" singer, 62, told Ultimate Classic Rock that he and former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora participated in a new documentary series about the band but had not spoken.
"We're not in contact because he's not in the organization anymore," Bon Jovi told the site. "Doesn't mean that there's not love forever, but it's 11 years ago that he just didn't show up anymore."
After years of substance abuse, Bon Jovi lead guitarist Sambora abruptly left the band in 2013. After leaving, he told People that he needed to be with his daughter Ava during a "time of psychological maintenance" for his family.
You know, I'm no angel," he said. "But I realized Ava needed me then. Family came first." Aging, legacy, and knowing 'when it's time to depart' Jon Bon Jovion Bon Jovi found it "tough" to "mourn the loss of a bandmate who just couldn't effectively keep up anymore." in 2020. He claims he last spoke with Sambora at the band's 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Bon Jovi told Ultimate Classic Rock that Sambora departed the band owing to "emotional issues that he was dealing with as a single dad," and substance usage. Phil X replaced Sambora as Bon Jovi's guitarist in 2013. "Phil X had to show up one time, and then Phil X had to show up another time," he said. There's another show that night. How shall we proceed?" Richie Sambora: 'Family has to come first' after leaving Bon Jovi.
Bon Jovi and Sambora appeared in the four-part Hulu documentary "Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story," which premiered in April. But Bon Jovi told Ultimate Classic Rock he wasn't there when Sambora was interviewed for the documentary. "I had nothing to do with it," he said.
"Fortunately, I found a surgeon who was able to do this really cutting-edge implant to build the cord back up," Bon Jovi told the Television Critics Association in February while promoting "Thank You, Goodnight". The process continues."
Bon Jovi said the upcoming documentary will not be a "VH1 puff piece," adding, "It had to be honest. This needed all its flaws to be honest." In June, Bon Jovi will release a new album, but he's unsure if he can tour next year due to his recuperation. “I'm working towards that goal,” he remarked.
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