Richie Sambora, the former guitarist for Bon Jovi, has spoken up about his unplanned 2013 exit from the band. During a recent interview on the just-released documentary “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” Sambora apologized for the way he left the band.
“I don’t regret leaving the situation,” said Richie Sambora to open the conversation, but he soon followed with, “But I regret how I did it.” Then, apologizing, he said, “So I want to apologize fully right now to the fans, especially, and also to the guys because my feet and spirit were just not letting me walk out the door.”
“I guess if you’re in the mafia, the only thing you possibly do is disappear,” Sambora said in elucidating his absence during Bon Jovi’s travel to Calgary, Alberta, for the 2013 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction. And I did.
Since Richie Sambora had been a vital member of Bon Jovi since its founding, both fans and band members were taken aback by his departure. Even with his apology, fans are still divided over Sambora’s departure from the band and many of them still want to see him and the band reunited in the future.