Jon Bon Jovi was 'never at war' with Richie Sambora
Jon Bon Jovi has insisted he was "never" at "war" with former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora following his departure from the band in 2013 - declaring the musician "made a life choice".
Jon Bon Jovi was "never" at "war" with former Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora.
The pair worked together in the band for 30 years until Sambora walked away back in 2013 and frontman Jon has now insisted there was never any bad blood between the pair because there was no "fight" - declaring the musician simply "made a life choice".
The singer told The Times newspaper: "There’s nothing but love and admiration for everything he contributed from 1983 till he left in 2013.
"But he quit. There was never a fight. There was never a war. There was never anything. And it’s almost 13 years.
"You know, he made a life choice. Being in a rock band is not a life sentence. One night he decided he didn’t want to do it any more."
When asked if the pair would ever consider reuniting in the style of reformed rockers Oasis, Jon replied: "I can’t answer your question. He quit 13 years ago. That was it."
The singer underwent surgery to repair one of his vocal cords after it deteriorated at the end of Bon Jovi’s 2022 tour and it's taken several years to get his voice back to its best.
He went on to admit the loss of Sambora - who sang backing vocals with the band - may have contributed to the strain he put on his voice.
Jon told the publication: "That would have been one element, if you look deeper. I can be honest about that. Sure."
The singer recently compared recovering from his vocal cord injury to training for a marathon - admitting he feared he would never be able to perform again before he underwent surgery in 2022.
During an interview on the Today show, Bon Jovi explained: "One of my cords was atrophied, and the strong one was pushing the weak one around, and this one was dying. The road's been long and tough, but I persevered."
He added of getting himself ready to go back on stage again for the band's upcoming Forever Tour: "[I feared I'd never perform again]. And then the next day, there'd be a little ray of hope. The next day was brighter.
"And until the next time, you get punched in the nose by some setback, you pick yourself up again and do it again ...
"It’s like training for a marathon. Anyone can go for a run. Being able to go the distance is a whole different set of commitment.
"You have to physically, mentally and spiritually be ready to do that again."
The rocker also insisted he is going back on tour for the "joy" of being onstage, adding: "I’m not that applause junkie. I do it for the joy, and I do it for the art. "The rest of it is great because I’m good at it. But if you couldn’t do it from a place of joy, what’s the motivation?
"I have other things in my life. It’s what I do. It’s not who I am."
The tour kicks off in New York on July 7 at Madison Square Garden, with additional dates on 9, 12, and 14 July, before moving to the UK and Ireland for shows at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on 28 August, Dublin’s Croke Park on 30 August, and concluding at London’s Wembley Stadium on 4 September.
