Jack Russell, who has died aged 63, would have hoped to be remembered simply as the gravel-voiced singer of the popular Grammy-nominated 80s glam metal rock band Great White and hits like “Rock Me” and “Once Bitten Twice Shy.”
Sadly, his legacy is more tragic. His spin-off group, Jack Russell’s Great White, was performing at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, Rhode Island, in February 2003 when their pyrotechnics sparked a fire that killed 100 people in one of the worst disasters of its kind in U.S. history.
The deaths included Great White’s guitarist and 230 people were injured.
Russell wasn’t charged but the band agreed to pay a $1 million settlement, and the stress took a heavy toll on the singer and other members of the band, who split in 2005, but reformed in various guises before he posted on Instagram in July that he was retiring on health grounds.
“I am unable to perform at the level I desire and at the level you deserve. Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love, and support,” he wrote at the time, describing his illness.
The cause of his death was thought to be Lewy Body Dementia and Multiple System Atrophy.
Announcing his death on Instagram, his family wrote: “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.”
Russell co-founded Great White in Southern California in 1984 after touring under the name Dante Fox. The group’s biggest hit, Once Bitten Twice Shy, reached No. 5 on the Billboard charts in 1989 and won a Grammy nod.
After the group disbanded in the 90s, Jack Russell’s Great White was launched in 2002, a year before the club fire.
The band’s tour manager and the brothers who owned the club were charged in connection with the tragedy.
The New York Times writes that Russell is survived by his wife, Heather Ann Russell and his son, Matthew Hucko.
