Jack Russell, the founding lead singer of glam metal band Great White, died on Thursday at the age of 63. His death was confirmed on the musician’s social media. In July, the singer shared a statement about his struggle with dementia caused by Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy.
“I can’t perform at the level I want to and at the level you deserve,” Russell wrote on Instagram on July 17. “Words can’t express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love and support. Thank you for letting me live my dreams. You’ve made my life amazing.”
That life of wonder was filled with hits like Ian Hunter's “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” for Great White and multiple platinum albums throughout the hard metal era of the 1980s. Russell and his band were also at the center of a great tragedy when their pyrotechnic-filled show at the Station nightclub in Rhode Island set the venue on fire in 2003, killing 100 people and injuring 230 others. Among the victims was Great White guitarist Ty Longley, who perished in the blaze.
Great White guitarist and founder Mark Kendall sent his condolences on Instagram after news of Russell's death broke. Kendall praised his former partner as “one of rock's biggest heroes” and an “incredible voice that will live on forever.”
“What do you say about someone who has been by your side through such an incredible journey, good and bad?” the Instagram post read. “We prefer to let music fill in the blanks. All those wonderful years we spent together will always be close to our hearts. It was a pleasure and an honor to share the stage with him – so many shows, so many miles, and so much rock. In the studio, Jack was incredible. He was always ready to work. He worked so hard, Jack stayed until he got the best performance of every song. He brought that same excellence to every show. The consistency of his live performances was always unparalleled.”
Born on December 5, 1960 in Montebello, California, Russell lent his smooth, salty vocal prowess to several high school rock bands before meeting guitarist Kendall in 1977. The budding metal duo went by band names like Highway and Live Wire until Kendall and (then) new band manager Alan Nevin changed the band's name to Great White, as that was the platinum-haired guitarist's nickname.
Prior to meeting Nevin, Russell and Kendall's plans to start a band were thwarted for a time, when the troubled Russell was arrested in 1979 for shooting a live-in maid during an attempted robbery. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. Although Kendall worked with other lead singers for a time, the guitarist rejoined Russell; the singer was released from prison after serving 18 months of his sentence.
By 1982, Russell and Kendall had teamed up with drummer Gary Holland and guitarist Lorne Black, recording and releasing “Out of the Night” on Nevin's independent label, Aegean. After Nevin convinced Los Angeles radio station KMET to add Great White to its playlist, other Los Angeles stations followed suit. The band became the toast of the still-growing hair metal scene, opening for like-minded artists such as Whitesnake, Dokken, and David Lee Roth's solo band.
After signing with Capitol/EMI, the band gained speed and sales with their 1987 album Once Bitten (with singles such as “Rock Me” and “Save Your Love”) and their subsequent album Twice Shy (1989), which included Great White's hits such as “The Angel Song” and “Once Bitten, Twice Shy”. By the early 1990s, hard metal had fallen behind Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and grunge. Great White left Capitol for labels such as Zoo. By 2000, Kendall announced that he was taking a break from Great White. Following Kendall's breakup, several other members left the band altogether. After a short-lived contract with Columbia Records in 2001, Russell's father died and the singer disbanded what remained of Great White rather than continue.
Although Russell recorded a few fleeting solo albums such as Shelter Me (1996) and For You (2002), singer and guitarist Kendall re-formed his band as Jack Russell's Great White. By 2003, their dreams of renewed success had been dashed. During a performance at the Station nightclub, a fire broke out when sparks from the band's pyrotechnics ignited unapproved foam soundproofing on the walls and ceiling around the stage. Following the tragedy, in 2008, Jack Russell Touring Inc. agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and relatives of the victims.
Since then, there have been several Great White reunions, including a 2006 to 2009 version featuring Russell, Kendall, and the band's new album, “Rising.” But in 2010, Russell had to undergo surgery for a perforated intestine; he was replaced while he recovered by a lineup of vocalists including Warrant's Janie Lane and XYZ's Terry Elos. From there, starting in 2012, Russell went on to re-form Jack Russell's Great White—only this time, causing a bit of a stir with Kendall's Great White, which led to a 2013 federal court settlement where Russell handed over his rights to the “Great White” name to Kendall and Co.
In addition to continuing to perform live until his retirement in 2024, and recording singles such as “Hard Habit” in 2014 and Jack Russell's Great White debut album “He Saw It Comin'” in 2017, Russell has written an autobiography, “The True Tale of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative” with author KL Doty for publication in the summer of 2024.
According to what he posted on his Instagram account, “Jack Russell passed away peacefully in the presence of his wife Heather Ann Russell, his son Matthew Hocco, his cousin Naomi Breshears Barbour, and dear friends Billy and Cheryl Pawlicik.”
Russell is survived by his wife, Heather Ann Kramer, whom he married in 2011. A public memorial is planned to be announced at a later date.
