A source has recently said that Richie Sambora’s life after Bon Jovi has been better. But during his run with the band, he sacrificed his health.
Speaking to People, the source said Sambora toured although he ‘fell and tore his shoulder off the bone’ in the bathroom during a break. As a result, Jon Bon Jovi considered canceling the $100 million worth tour. But Sambora insisted he doesn’t:
“Jon was maybe gonna cancel the tour. Richie was like, ‘No, I’ll put the guitar over my other shoulder. He got on oxycodone, and he played 30-35 shows. They brought in $100 million bucks.”
The rocker eventually knew he needed to quit oxycodone. But when the medications wore off, he thought he had a disease:
“He thought he had Parkinson’s [disease] because he was shaking. He had to be on that drug to play the guitar cuz his shoulder was ripped off.”
Sambora’s Personal Issues And Why He Left
Although he had a good run with the band, Sambora left the band due to ‘personal issues’ right before a gig.
In the same interview, the source clarified that it wasn’t just an excuse, but he did really have personal issues during that time:
“There were tensions in the band and Richie had a lot of personal issues. His dad died. Heather divorced him.”
His departure from the band was for a good cause. He added:
“He needed to be home with his daughter, take care of her, and also take care of himself.”
Phil X filled in for Sambora for the rest of the tour and later became an official member in 2016. In the trailer for ‘Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,’ Sambora talked about leaving the band. Apparently, Sambora doesn’t regret leaving but regrets the way he did.
Also, the rest of the members said no one was expecting him to leave in the middle of the night.