Controversial Bon Jovi founder Alec John Such has died

To speak of Alec John Such is to speak of a music legend and founder of one of the most important rock bands in history: Bon Jovi.

Sadly, the man who was Bon Jovi's bassist for over a decade, has passed away at the age of 70. The cause of his death has not been reported.

TMZ reported the death of Alec John Such first. Then, the band itself confirmed the information with its own statement on social media.

"We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alec John Such," the statement begins.

“He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band. To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him – he was a childhood friend of Tico [Torres] and brought Richie [Sambora] to see us perform," the statement continues.

As Bon Jovi says goodbye to its founder, the band remembers that "Alec was always wild and full of life. Today these special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. We will miss him dearly," they conclude.

Indeed, it was a teenage Alec John Such who would shape Bon Jovi's most legendary and successful line-up.

Alec John Such formed his first rock band at the age of 13, called 'Phantom's Opera', which also included drummer Tico Torres. After that, he joined 'The Message', where Richie Sambora was already playing guitar.

Finally, the three would become part of Bon Jovi in 1983, the year of its formation.

Apart from Jon Bon Jovi, only Tico Torres remains active in the band. Richie Sambora (photo, right) left in 2013 and Alec John Such himself quit, somewhat abruptly, in 1994.

In one of the episodes 'Behind the Music' on VH1, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora revealed the reasons that led Alec John Such to leave the group in 1994.

Both maintained that his live performances were not up to the band's standards. They also said that Alec John Such's contribution to the highly successful 'Crossroads' album was of poor quality. All this led to his departure from Bon Jovi, 11 years after founding the band.

At the time of the show, Alec John Such decided not to give his opinion about his departure, nor to reply to those who, for a decade, had been his groupmates.

Apart from this, the rumor mill suggested that Alec John Such's departure was due to him having leaked information about the band's activities backstage after their concerts.

Asked about the matter on 'Behind the Music,' Jon Bon Jovi limited himself to saying: "What happens in the family, stays in the family."

Either way, in 1994, Alec John Such was replaced by Hugh McDonald. The bassist himself would go on to found 'Seventh Heaven' together with James Young, a former member of 'Styx'.

Despite the disagreements, Alec John Such appeared by surprise at a Bon Jovi concert in New Jersey during the 'One Wild Night' tour. He performed the legendary 'Wanted Dead or Alive' with his old bandmates.

That would be his last live performance with Bon Jovi. It was the year 2001.

We had to wait 17 more years, until 2018, to see the original line-up come together again - without instruments. It was the day Bon Jovi was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Regardless of how things have turned out, Alec John Such has been, and will always be a founding member of one of the greatest rock bands in history.