As any Bon Jovi fan knows, it's not just Jon Bon Jovi who helped craft the hits. Richie Sambora also played a big part. While Bon Jovi still tours (at least, before 2020), Richie hasn't been part of the act. Reason being, he quietly left the band a few years ago.
The good news is, there doesn't seem to be any bad blood between Jon and Richie. Instead, Richie says that he quit the band because he wanted to spend some more time at home with his family. One of Richie's biggest public romances was with actress Heather Locklear. The two got married in 1994 but eventually split in 2007.
In that time, they had a daughter named Ava. While Ava is currently in her 20s, Richie has been happy getting to spend some extra time with her. For families that include a big-name musician, touring often takes away from time with kids.
Richie officially left the band in 2013, after performing with them for 30 years. Both Jon and Richie started up the band back in New Jersey in 1983. By 1984, their debut album was available in stores.
It's not as if Richie still needed the money. His net worth is reportedly $100 million. So his timing was more or less perfect. "Richie sacrificed a lot to be there for his daughter when she was still very young and needed him the most, and he's so proud to see how well she's doing now," a source told People magazine.
Ava has a lot to be happy about these days. The 23-year-old just graduated with honors from Loyola Marymount University. "She just had her birthday, and they had a family celebration," the insider continued. "It was the right decision to step off the stage to be a full-time father."
The insider also hinted that so much touring may have been tough on Richie and his relationship with Ava. "At the end, he was suffering being on the road so much," the source said. "Richie has no regrets about leaving the band." And no matter what, he'll always be thought of when listening to Bon Jovi.
Even if it happens to be one of the albums released after his departure. Richie was replaced by Philip Eric Xenidis, also known as Phil X. He's been with the band since 2011, but he officially replaced Richie in the lineup in 2016. When he started, he was added to the mix for a completely different reason.
Richie entered rehab in 2011 and needed someone to cover him. "I think this was a culmination of all the things that overloaded his life, and finally he realized he needed to take care of himself," a source told the New York Post. It wasn't the first time he'd gone to rehab. In 2007, shortly after his divorce from Heather Locklear, he also spent a month in rehab.
These days, Richie and Heather seem to be getting along better. While she's also publicly fought some health battles and issues with sobriety, the two still seem supportive of each other. This year, he made a point to celebrate her new engagement to her high school sweetheart, Chris Heisser.
Heather's family is also quite happy about this coupling. "After all the fame, she found her way back to a simpler life with the boy she dated in high school," a family friend told Daily Mail. "She found a silver lining. It's a wonderful feeling to know you got it right the first time."
Ava is likely also overjoyed over her mom's happiness. And she's seemed to really flourish by having her dad around more. "Richie was happy being there to drive with Ava to her first day of high school and to pool parties with her friends," a source told People. "These last seven years have been the most loving and rewarding in his life. They have traveled the world together and brought friends to truly share the fun. He wouldn't trade it for anything."
Heather's happiness also means that as a family unit, the three of them have been staying strong. "Now that Heather is doing so well and loving life again, they feel like they have a second lease on life," the source continued. "Ava and her father spent her 23rd birthday hanging out at home. With Ava's graduate school online school workload, Richie still enjoys every minute with her."
It's nice to know that they've figured everything out. Richie had also moved on from Heather and had another serious relationship in his life. For four years, he was dating Orianthi, an Australian musician. The two had quite an age gap, with Orianthi being born in 1985. Another difficulty was the fact that they played music together.
However, their split seems to have been mutual — and as they told fans, the music would continue on. "Thank u to all our fans who have bought the new RSO record ['Rise'] and attended our shows, we love and appreciate you all," their statement to TMZ read. "We love and support each other but are taking the summer off to focus on family and other endeavors. We will regroup in the near future with our music. Peace and love to you all and thank you for your continued support."
During this year, Ava has been with her dad throughout most of the stay-at-home orders. That also meant that instead of graduating with a big ceremony, she had to participate in a virtual ceremony. While she was upset, she seemed to have a mature response about it.
"She's a little bit bummed because, you know, she was graduating in May, and now the pomp and circumstance of the whole graduation thing is off," Richie told People. "She made the dean's list every year and all of that other stuff, so she was really looking forward to her graduation." But it's good that he's there to remind her how much she's accomplished in life.
He's still blessed he got to be there with her during her final year. "I've had an amazing life," he said. "A lot of people have died in rock and roll. You know what I mean? But the hard-partying rock and roll lifestyle was just not my thing. Work was my thing and playing music is the main thing. And I think you have to pass it on in this life, man. You got to pass the wisdom on and give back."
