Jack Russell, co-founder and lead singer of glam metal band Great White, died on Thursday at age 63. The death was confirmed on the musician’s social media accounts. In July, Russell released a statement about his battle with Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy.
“I am unable to perform at the level I want to and that you all want to,” Russell wrote on Instagram on July 17. “Words cannot express how grateful I am for all the memories, love and support over the years. Thank you for making my dream come true. My life has become amazing.”
Their incredible life had its high points, including the hit single “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” written by Great White’s Ian Hunter, and several platinum albums throughout the hair metal 1980s. Russell and his band were also at the center of a major tragedy in 2003 when a pyrotechnic-filled show at the tiny Station nightclub in Rhode Island engulfed the venue in flames, killing 100 people and injuring 230. Among the victims was Great White guitarist Ty Longley, who died in the fire.
Guitarist and Great White co-founder Mark Kendall shared his condolences on Instagram after news of Russell’s passing broke, praising his former partner as “one of rock’s greatest champions with an incredible voice that will live on forever.”
“What can you say about someone who’s been there for you through an incredible journey, the good and the bad,” the Instagram post read. “We want music to fill the void. All of our amazing years together are treasured in our hearts. It was an honor and a pleasure to share the stage with him. So many shows, so many miles, and just rocking like crazy. Jack was amazing in the studio. Always ready to work, and working hard, Jack was there until he delivered the best performance of each song. He delivered the same amazing performance at every show. The consistency of his live performances has always been unmatched.”
Born in Montebello, California on December 5, 1960, Russell lent his smooth, acerbic vocals to a string of high school rock bands before meeting guitarist Kendall in 1977. The up-and-coming metal duo went through band names like Highway and Livewire before Kendall and (then) new band manager Alan Niven changed the band’s name to Great White, which was the platinum-haired guitarist’s nickname.
Prior to meeting Niven, Russell and Kendall’s plans to form a band were derailed in 1979 when the troubled Russell was arrested for shooting the live-in maid during an attempted robbery. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. Kendall worked with other lead singers for a time, but guitarist Kendall reunited with Russell, who was released after serving an 18-month sentence.
By 1982, Russell and Kendall had teamed up with drummer Gary Holland and bassist Lorne Black to record “Out of the Night,” which was released on Niven’s independent label, Aegean. When Niven convinced Los Angeles radio station KMET to add Great White to its playlist, other Los Angeles radio stations followed suit. The band became popular in the growing hair metal world, opening for like-minded acts such as Whitesnake, Dokken, and David Lee Roth’s solo band.
Signed to Capitol/EMI, the band gained momentum and sales with the 1987 album Once Bitten (featuring singles such as “Rock Me” and “Save Your Love”) and its follow-up studio album, Twice Shy (1989), which featured some of Great White’s greatest hits, including “The Angel Song” and “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.”
By the early 1990s, hair metal’s glory had been replaced by Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and grunge. Great White left Capitol for labels such as Zoo. By 2000, Kendall announced that Great White was taking a hiatus. After Kendall’s breakup, several other members left the band altogether. After a brief signing with Columbia Records in 2001, Russell’s father died, and the singer dissolved what was left of Great White and decided not to continue with the band.
Russell recorded a few short-lived solo albums, including “Shelter Me” (1996) and “For You” (2002), while singer/guitarist Kendall reformed the band under the name Jack Russell’s Great White. By 2003, any dreams of newfound success had fizzled.
During a performance at The Station nightclub, a fire broke out when sparks from the band’s fireworks ignited unauthorized foam soundproofing that was affixed to the walls and ceiling around the stage. Following the tragedy, Jack Russell Touring agreed in 2008 to pay $1 million to survivors and the families of the victims.
Since then, Great White has reformed several times, with versions from 2006 to 2009 featuring Russell and Kendall, and the band’s new album Rising being released. However, in 2010, Russell had to undergo surgery for a perforated intestine, and several vocalists, including Jani Lane of Warrant and Terry Illous of XYZ, filled in during his recovery. From there, beginning in 2012, Russell reformed Jack Russell’s Great White, but this time Kendall’s Great White was in turmoil, and in 2013, a federal court settlement was reached in which Russell transferred the rights to the “Great White” name to Kendall & Co.
He will continue to perform live until his retirement in 2024, as well as recording singles such as 2014’s “Hard Habit” and Jack Russell’s Great White’s debut album “He Saw It Comin'” in 2017. Russell is currently writing an autobiography, The True Tale of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative, with author KL Doty, for publication in summer 2024.
According to his Instagram, “Jack Russell passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife Heather Ann Russell, son Matthew Hacko, cousin Naomi Breshears Barber, and close friends Billy and Cheryl Pawelcick.”
Russell is survived by his wife, Heather Ann Kramer, whom he married in 2011. Memorial services will be announced at a later date.