Jack Russell Dies: Founding Vocalist Of Rock Band Great White Involved In Tragic Fire Was 63

Jack Russell, lead vocalist for 1980s hair metal group Great White, died Thursday from multiple system atrophy and Lewy body dementia, Rolling Stone reported. He was 63.

Russell announced his retirement from touring last month after his diagnosis.

“I am unable to perform at the level I desire and at the level you deserve,” Russell said on social media at the time. “Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love, and support.”

He was remembered today by his family.

“Jack is loved and remembered for his sense of humor, exceptional zest for life, and unshakeable contribution to rock and roll where his legacy will forever thrive,” his family wrote in an online statement.

Founded in Los Angeles in 1977, Great White rode the mid-1980s metal wave with the million-selling 1987 album Once Bitten and its double-platinum 1989 follow-up, … Twice Shy. The band’s songs “Rock Me” and Ian Hunter cover “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” were MTV mainstays. The latter reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went gold; watch the video here:

The band had seven Top 10 hits on the Mainstream Rock Chart including “Save Your Love,” “House of Broken Love,” “Call It Rock n’ Roll” and “Rollin’ Stoned.” An earlier track, a cover of The Angels’ “Face the Day” from Great White’s 1986 sophomore album Shot in the Dark, earned heavy airplay on Los Angeles rock outlet KMET-FM before the band broke nationwide the following year.

Fueled by “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” the group’s fourth LP … Twice Shy reached the Billboard 200 Top 10, and 1991’s Hooked and 1993 compilation disc The Best of Great White: 1986–1992 are certified gold.

Russell left the group in 1996 but returned in 2001 when it started touring under the name Jack Russell’s Great White.

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Great White was the headliner at The Station nightclub in Warwick, RI, in 2003 when the group’s stage pyrotechnics ignited a fire in the ceiling’s acoustic foam. Within six minutes, the entire club went up in flames, killing 100 people, including band guitarist Ty Longley, and injuring 230. It remains the deadliest fireworks accident in U.S. history.

Legal action against several parties, including Great White, was resolved with monetary settlements by 2008.

Russell’s survivors include his wife, Heather Ann Russell, and a son, Matthew Hucko. A public memorial is planned at a later date.

Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.