Jon Bon Jovi couldn't even sing in the shower after his band's 2013 tour, which saw the departure of guitarist Richie Sambora.
Lead guitarist Richie abruptly left Bon Jovi in the middle of their 2013 tour, reportedly because he wanted to spend more time with his daughter.
The It's My Life hitmakers, led by Jon, pressed on without him, recruiting collaborator Phil X to fill the void, but Richie’s exit had a massive impact on the group's 54-year-old frontman - and his voice.
"I couldn’t (even) sing in the shower!” he told the Financial Times. "I’m not exaggerating. I couldn’t f**king sing."
Prior to his departure Richie and Jon were incredibly close, and the pair had written the majority of the group's hits together.
But Jon knew he had to put the situation behind him while the tour was still playing, which is why it had such a massive effect when the tour came to an end and it finally hit him that his bandmate and friend was gone
"He was my brother, my best friend,” he sighed. “We were very similar. We still are very similar. We both wrote lyrics, we both wrote music, we both sing. The same. We just complemented each other.
"(But) there was no time to be mad or sad. You had to do it. And as a band we had to circle the wagons because of the responsibility to each other, to the crew, to the records, to the fans. You don’t just say, ‘I don’t want to come into work today, I’m not in good shape.’ F*ck you.”
Bon Jovi released This House Is Not for Sale, their thirteenth studio album, last November (16). And while Jon’s previously become too obsessed with the group's work, the singer insists he has taken a step back in recent years.
“Back in my earlier days I would have termed myself (a workaholic) that but not for the last decade,” he insisted. "When you get to a certain age you realise that there’s more to life than wanting to be the lead singer of a rock band."
