Jon Bon Jovi Says He Misses Having Richie Sambora in Bon Jovi

Richie Sambora has been out of Bon Jovi for a number of years now, but that doesn't mean Jon Bon Jovi doesn't miss the guitarist.

Bon Jovi said in a new interview with The Asbury Park Press, "It wouldn’t be fair to Tico [Torres] or David [Bryan] or to me, to have let it falter because of Richie’s…problems, his issues. So there was no way that I was going to ... the name of the band is Bon Jovi, it’s not anything else. This isn’t a band that is dependent on the guitar player like Van Halen or U2 or something, it was about the songs and it was about me. We got it. I wish he was here, too, because we were a formidable duo. Our voices were the magic and he’s a great guy and all that kind of stuff but his choices have led him astray."

Sambora left the band suddenly in 2013 citing wanting to spend more time with his daughter.

Despite his exit, Sambora performed with Bon Jovi when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.