Jack Russell Dies: Founding Vocalist Of Great White Rock Band Involved In Tragic Fire Was 63

Jack Russell, the vocalist for 1980s hair metal group Great White, died Thursday at 63 from multiple system atrophy and Lewy body dementia, Rolling Stone reported .

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Russell announced his retirement from touring last month after his diagnosis.

“I am unable to perform at the level I desire and at the level you deserve,” Russell said on social media at the time. “Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love, and support.”

He was remembered today by his family.

“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,” his family wrote in an online statement .

Founded in Los Angeles in 1977, Great White rode the mid-1980s metal wave with the platinum-selling 1987 album Once Bitten and its 1989 follow-up, … Twice Shy. The band’s songs Rock Me and Once Bitten, Twice Shy, were MTV mainstays.

Russell left the group in 1996, but returned in 2001 when it started touring under the name Jack Russell’s Great White.

Great White was the attraction at The Station nightclub in 2003 when the group’s stage pyrotechnics ignited a fire in the ceiling’s acoustic foam. Within six minutes, the entire club went up in flames, killing 100 people, including band guitarist Ty Longley, and injuring 230. It remains the deadliest fireworks accident in U.S. history.

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Legal action against several parties, including Great White, was resolved with monetary settlements by 2008.

Survivors include his wife, Heather Ann Russell, and a son, Matthew Hucko. A public memorial is planned at a later date.

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