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 80s band is notably linked to a tragic fire in a nightclub, was 63 years old.
He toured as Jack Russell's Great White
According to US media, the singer 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 US Billboard charts in 1989. The band was nominated for a Grammy for this song. In 2001, the group officially disbanded but continued to tour as Jack Russell's Great White with a changed lineup.
The band's career hit rock bottom in 2003 when a fire and subsequent stampede 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 raised funds for the victims' families through their concerts.
In July, Russell publicly disclosed his illnesses and announced his retirement from the music industry. "I am unable to perform at the level I would like 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 "New York Times" and "Rolling Stone" magazine reported on Jack Russell's biographer K.L. Doty revealing the causes of his death, attributing it to Lewy body dementia and its accompanying multisystem atrophy. Throughout his career, Jack Russell toured as the frontman of his band, Jack Russell's Great White, after the original Great White disbanded in 2001.
