Lead singer of Great White - American rock singer Jack Russell has died.
American singer and frontman of the rock band Great White, Jack Russell, has passed away. He reportedly passed away peacefully in the presence of his family and two friends, as announced on the musician's official Facebook page.
The musician passed away due to Lewy body dementia and its accompanying multisystem atrophy, as reported by his biographer K. L. Doty to the "New York Times" and "Rolling Stone" magazine. Russell, whose 1980s band is notably linked to a tragic fire in a nightclub, was 63 years old.
According to U.S. media, Russell founded the band Great White alongside guitarist Mark Kendall. The group's biggest hit, "Once Bitten Twice Shy", a cover of the same-titled song by singer Ian Hunter, reached number five on the U.S. Billboard charts in 1989 and earned the band a Grammy nomination. Despite officially disbanding in 2001, the group continued to tour under the name Jack Russell's Great White with a changed lineup.
Fire and Mass Panic at Concert - 100 Dead
The band hit rock bottom in 2003 when a fire and subsequent mass panic during their concert at The Station nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, resulted in the deaths of 100 people. Pyrotechnics ignited the club's ceiling, with band guitarist Ty Longley among the fatalities. Later, the band also collected donations from their concerts for the families of the victims.
In July, Russell publicly disclosed his illnesses and announced his retirement from the music business. "I am unable to deliver the performance I wish to and that you deserve," he wrote on Instagram. "Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love, and support."
Lewy body dementia resembles Alzheimer's disease, with patients experiencing progressive memory loss along with psychotic symptoms or movement disorders, according to the German Alzheimer Society. Multisystem atrophy is a rare, Parkinson's-like disease.
The United States of America is where Jack Russell, the late frontman of Great White, initially formed his renowned band with guitarist Mark Kendall. Despite officially disbanding in 2001, a version of the group, known as Jack Russell's Great White, continued to tour internationally.
