Great White founding member Jack Russell dies

A founding member of the band Great White has died.

Jack Russell was 63 years old.

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Russell was the lead singer of the band known for hits such as “Once Bitten Twice Shy” and “Rock Me,” The Associated Press reported.

A statement on his Instagram page read, “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.” It said he died surrounded by his family including his wife, son, cousin and friends.

The vocalist had stopped touring after he said he had Lewy body dementia and Multiple System Atrophy, Rolling Stone reported.

Lewy body dementia is caused by “abnormal deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain,” the National Institute of Health said. The brain is chemically changed and leads to issues with thinking, movement, behavior and mood. About a million people have been diagnosed with the progressive disease. Several celebrities were diagnosed with LBD including Robin Williams , Ted Turner and Estelle Getty .

He said on Instagram last month, “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.”

Russell was born in Montebello, California, and founded Great White in 1982 with Mark Kendall. Kendall took a break from the band in 2000 and Russell left in 2001 for a solo career. They reunited and toured as Jack Russell’s Great White.”

Russell was on stage when 100 people died in a fire at The Station nightclub in Rhode Island in 2003, the AP reported. The band’s pyrotechnics sparked a fire and when fans tried to escape, they became bottlenecked. Among those killed was Great White’s Ty Longley. More than 200 others were hurt in the blaze, the AP reported.

″It was a horrible tragedy,” Russell told The Roanoke Times in Virginia in 2010, according to the AP . “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 owners of the club and the band’s tour manager were charged and all three had agreed to plea deals for their responsibility for the fire. The band raised money for victims and agreed to pay $1 million to 300 people as a settlement.