Richie Sambora has lifted the lid on his sudden exit from Bon Jovi in 2013, after his departure left the music world reeling.
The guitarist joined the group in 1983 and remained a permanent fixture alongside frontman Jon Bon Jovi, Alec John Such, David Bryan and Tico Torres.
He appeared on some of their biggest tracks, including Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name and It’s My Life.
Shortly before the band were due to perform in Calgary as part of their Because We Can tour, the 64-year-old revealed that he would be leaving for good.
Taking to Instagram, Richie shared a clip from the ‘cutting room floor’ of the recent Hulu documentary on Bon Jovi’s history, offering his side of the story.
‘I heard everything and I was the guy that really fought for this to be a band,’ he said in the footage. ‘It’s really hard to be married to four other guys and be in close quarters the way we were.
‘That, coupled with my daughter coming of age, my wife’s mental health stuff was really acting up. She needed me and I needed her.
‘I don’t regret leaving the situation, but I regret how I did it. So, I would like to apologize fully right now to the fans, especially also to the guys because my feet and my spirit were just not letting me walk out the door.’
Discussing the response from his fellow musicians upon his exit, he continued: ‘I was in this organization for 31 and a half years. Everybody has their personal tragedies and things like that.
‘But I didn’t receive a lot of compassion coming back, for what I was going through.
‘I believe everybody had their own perspective on how fame and fortune… Everybody experiences that at different speeds. That’s how life can get whacked from one guy from the next.’
Alongside the video, Richie wrote: ‘From the cutting room floor of #thankyougoodnight – Livin’ Alone out tomorrow!’
After his departure, Phil X initially stepped in to replace the guitarist for the remainder of the tour, before making the move official.
Speaking out over the decision, Richie previously told People Magazine that he had no regrets – as he put his family above everything else.
‘It wasn’t a popular decision by any means, obviously, but there was really almost no choice about it. I had a lot of conscious work to do around [my personal life],’ he said in 2020.
‘When I look back and start to list the tours … 18-and-a-half months of being on the road, 52 countries.
‘It’s like, Wow. It was really time for a break. We did that 14 times over a 31-year period.
‘I ain’t no angel. But I realized, Ava needed me to be around at that point in time. Family had to come first, and that’s what happened.’
Jon subsequently told the outlet he is still ‘waiting at the door’ to welcome Richie back into the fold.
‘Just to be clear, there was nothing but love. There was never a fight. Ultimately being in a rock band is not a life sentence. He had to deal with his other issues,’ he insisted. ‘There’s never animosity.’
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