Jack Russell, lead singer of band Great White, dies at 63

Singer Jack Russell, of the band Great White, performs in West Hollywood, Calif., on April 29, 2003. (AP Photo/Jill Connelly)

NEW YORK — Jack Russell, the lead singer of the bluesy '80s metal band Great White whose hits included “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me” and was fronting his band the night 100 people died in a 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island, has died. He was 63.

“Jack is loved and remembered for his sense of humour, exceptional zest for life, and unshakeable contribution to rock and roll where his legacy will forever thrive," said a statement posted Thursday to his Instagram page. The death was confirmed by K. L. Doty, author of Russell’s autobiography, "The True Tale of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative."

Russell recently stopped touring after announcing he had been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and Multiple System Atrophy, which causes loss of coordination and balance, and changes in speech.

Fellow metal stars mourned Russell, with ex-Cinderella member Fred Coury writing on X: “The world lost 1 of the nicest guys in the business & 1 of the great voices to sail across the airways of the 80’s.” Poison singer Bret Michaels posted: “To my friend Jack Russell, such an amazing voice. May you rest in peace.”

A different iteration of Great White that Russell led — performing under the name Jack Russell’s Great White — was involved in one of the most tragic concerts in U.S. history in 2003. During a show at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island, the band’s pyrotechnics sparked a fast-moving blaze that caused a bottleneck as fans tried to flee. The fire killed 100 people, including the band’s guitarist, Ty Longley, and injured more than 200 others.

″It was a horrible tragedy,” Russell told The Roanoke Times in Virginia in 2010. “I wish we could go back in time and erase it. I wish there was something I could’ve done about it. This was one of those things where you don’t see it coming — there’s no way you can possibly see it coming. You just kind of pick yourself up and move on. You take what life gives you.

The only people criminally charged were Jeffrey and Michael Derderian, the owners of The Station nightclub, and Daniel Biechele, Great White’s tour manager, who set off the pyrotechnics without a permit. The three struck plea deals.

Great White held benefit concerts after the fire to raise money for the Station Family Fund, a charity that helped people who were severely burned, children who had lost parents and others. The band agreed to pay US$1 million to more than 300 people as part of a settlement.

Russell was a California native who joined Great White in 1981 and found success with its blend of blues and hard rock, before he left to record a solo album. The band split up in 2001, and Russell reformulated a version under his own name.

Great White's biggest hit was the Ian Hunter-penned song, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” from its 1989 album, ”... Twice Shy,” peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, aided by a popular MTV video. A Russell original, “The Angel Song,” reached No. 30 on the chart, and ”... Twice Shy” wound up selling about 2 million copies. The band would earn a Grammy nomination in the best hard rock performance category.

The band reunited in 2007 with original members to mark their 25th anniversary, issued a new studio album and spent the last two months touring Europe.