Richie Sambora is living his best life since leaving Bon Jovi.
A source tells PEOPLE that “personal issues” and stress within the band contributed to why the band’s longtime lead guitarist, 64, left Bon Jovi in the middle of their 2013 world tour for personal reasons.
Three years before he left Bon Jovi, Sambora “felt demoralized.”
“There was tension in the band and Richie had a lot of personal issues,” an insider told PEOPLE. “His dad died. Heather divorced him.”
Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi in Hollywood in December 2012 Jesse Grant/Getty Why Richie Sambora Didn’t Attend Jon Bon Jovi’s MusiCares Person of the Year Ceremony (Exclusive)
It didn’t help that the iconic rock group “never took a break.”
“They haven’t even unpacked their bags,” says the source. “They’ve been doing this for 30 years.”
In the end, the source claims, the “Ballad of Youth” performer “didn’t have the spirit” to be in the band anymore.
“He had to be at home with his daughter, take care of her and take care of himself,” they added.
Sambora currently lives in Calabasas, with homes in Orange County and Hawaii, where he is focused on his family, the source confirmed.
After leaving Bon Jovi, his life was “amazing” as he was able to drive his daughter Ava to school and be with her “full time”.
“Richie and Ava are very close,” says the insider. – She means everything to him and always has.
Although Sambora and ex-wife Heather Locklear have been divorced since 2007, he still sees her “from time to time” and is “close to her family,” according to the source.
“She and Richie are close,” adds the source. “He just wants the best for her.”
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Heather Locklear, Richie Sambora and daughter Ava in June 2005.
L. Cohen/WireImage
They also explain how Sambora’s decision to tour after he “fell and tore his shoulder” in the shower during a break contributed to his opioid addiction.
“Jon might have wanted to cancel the tour. Richie said, ‘No, I’m going to put the guitar over my other shoulder,'” says the insider. “He got on oxycodone and played 30-35 shows. They brought in $100 million.”
After a 35-show tour, a source says Sambora got “hooked” on oxycodone.
“He thought he had Parkinson’s disease [disease] because he was shaking,” says the source. “He had to be on that drug to play guitar because his shoulder was torn off.”
According to an insider, Sambora worked with musician/producer Bob Rock, who collaborated on Bon Jovi’s 1986 album. Slippery when wet.
Today he is a singer-songwriter, so he writes and plays all the time, they say. – That’s the life of a musician.
The source added: “He’s spending millions of dollars recording with these other artists because he loves what he’s doing. It’s his passion. He’s a musician’s musician.”
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Richie Sambora in Louisville, Kentucky in May 2023.
Stephen J. Cohen/Getty
Jon Bon Jovi reveals why he’s ‘not in touch’ with former bandmate Richie Sambora
Currently, Sambora is focusing on writing her own music after collaborating with Dolly Parton on “Rockstar” for her album Rock starwhich was published in November.
He is scheduled to appear in upcoming documentary series Thank you good night: The story of Bon Jovipremieres on Hulu next month as part of the band’s 40th anniversary.
While Sambora told PEOPLE in November that a reunion with his former band “could definitely happen,” the “Hard Times Come Easy” singer had to skip MusiCares’ 2024 Person of the Year ceremony honoring Bon Jovi in February.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education