Great White Frontman Dies at 63

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Jack Russell, the co-founding lead vocalist of the glam metal band Great White, passed away on Thursday at the age of 63. His death was confirmed on his social media accounts. In July, Russell shared that he was battling Lewy body dementia and multiple system atrophy.

“I am unable to perform at the level I desire and at the level you deserve,” Russell wrote on Instagram on July 17. “Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love, and support. Thank you for letting me live my dreams. You have made my life a wonder.”

Russell’s life was filled with highs and lows. Great White enjoyed the success of hits like “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” and several platinum albums during the 1980s. However, the band was also involved in tragedy when their 2003 show at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island caught fire due to pyrotechnics, killing 100 people and injuring 230 others, including the band’s guitarist Ty Longley.

Guitarist and fellow co-founder Mark Kendall paid tribute to Russell on Instagram, describing him as “one of rock’s biggest champions” with an “incredible voice that will live on forever.”

“What do you say about someone who was there by your side on such an amazing journey, the good and the bad?” Kendall’s Instagram post read. “We prefer to let the music fill in the blanks. All those wonderful years together will be held close to our hearts. It was a privilege and joy to share the stage with him – many shows, many miles, and maximum rock. In the studio, Jack was amazing. He always came ready to work. And work hard, he did. Jack stayed until he got the best performance for each song. He brought the same excellence to every show. The consistency of his live performances were always beyond comparison.”

Born on Dec. 5, 1960, in Montebello, Calif., Russell lent his vocal prowess to numerous high school rock bands before meeting guitarist Kendall in 1977. The duo went through various band names before settling on Great White, named after Kendall’s nickname.

Before meeting their future manager, Alan Niven, Russell and Kendall faced setbacks, including Russell’s arrest in 1979 for shooting a live-in maid during an attempted robbery. He was sentenced to eight years but served only 18 months. Kendall, in the meantime, worked with other vocalists but reunited with Russell upon his release from prison.

By 1982, Russell and Kendall, along with drummer Gary Holland and bassist Lorne Black, released “Out of the Night” on Niven’s independent label, Aegean. The band quickly gained traction in the Los Angeles hair metal scene and opened for acts like Whitesnake, Dokken, and David Lee Roth’s solo band.

Signed to Capitol/EMI, Great White gained momentum with the “Once Bitten” album in 1987, featuring singles like “Rock Me” and “Save Your Love,” followed by their 1989 album “Twice Shy.” However, hair metal’s popularity waned in the early 1990s with the rise of bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. By 2000, Kendall took a break from Great White, and several other members left the band.

Although Russell recorded a few solo albums such as “Shelter Me” (1996) and “For You” (2002), he and Kendall reformed under the name, Jack Russell’s Great White. However, their success was short-lived due to the 2003 nightclub fire. Jack Russell Touring Inc. later agreed to pay $1 million to survivors and victims’ relatives.

Despite several reunions of Great White, including a stint from 2006 to 2009, Russell eventually underwent surgery for a perforated bowel in 2010 and was replaced by other vocalists during his recovery. He reformed Jack Russell’s Great White in 2012, leading to a Federal Court agreement in 2013 that handed the “Great White” name rights to Kendall and his team.

Continuing to perform live until his retirement in 2024, Russell recorded singles like “Hard Habit” (2014) and released a Jack Russell’s Great White album titled “He Saw It Comin’” in 2017. He also penned his autobiography, “The True Tale of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative,” with author K.L Doty, set for summer 2024 publication.

According to his Instagram, “Jack Russell passed peacefully in the presence of his wife Heather Ann Russell, son Matthew Hucko, cousin Naomi Breshears Barbor, and dear friends Billy and Cheryl Pawelcik.”

Russell is survived by his wife, Heather Ann Kramer, whom he married in 2011. A public memorial will be announced at a later date.