NEVER SAY GOODBYE — In reunion news that die-hard Bon Jovi fans are anxiously waiting for, the word is that former guitarist Richie Sambora will not be part of the band’s future tours… ever.
A source close to the band has shared that while Richie and Jon get along fine, the chances of the guitarist coming back to tour with the band are far-fetched at best.
Sambora left Bon Jovi in April of 2013 citing personal issues with a need to focus on his daughter.
The group replaced Sambora with Phil X as a touring member that same year but by 2016 X was anointed with being an official member.
TMZ has reported on this situation and we have shared their story below.
Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora
Rock Legends Won’t Share the Stage on New Tour
Bon Jovi fans livin’ on the prayer that Richie Sambora will tour with the band next year are going to be crushed … ’cause TMZ has learned a full reunion isn’t in the group’s future.
Here’s the deal … after Bon Jovi announced their “Forever” tour scheduled for next summer, fans flocked to social media, totally convinced the group would bring Richie back for a show or two.
However, sources with direct knowledge tell us fans who are trying to “Never Say Goodbye” to Sambora are delusional … because we’re told such a reunion isn’t going to happen. Ever.
Our sources say Richie and Jon Bon Jovi get along fine enough, at this point … but, Richie isn’t going to tour with the group.
Sambora left the group almost 15 years ago, and our sources point out … that chapter in the group’s history is done and over.
Despite this, we’re told people can still get excited about hearing Bon Jovi sing after he recovered from serious surgery related to his vocal cords in 2022 … so, fans can still find a silver lining even with Richie MIA.
If you don’t know … Richie left Bon Jovi in 2013 to focus on his family — straight-up bailing on the tour at the time without a word of warning — and he only played with the group again in 2018 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction.
JBJ recently revealed he and Richie watched “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story” together when it came out on Hulu in 2024. In that doc, Sambora apologized to his fellow Bon Jovi bandmates for the way he left the group, though he stood by his decision to leave.
Richie was wanted — alive, not dead, unlike the song suggests — but, looks like fans will just have to keep dreaming of a reunion instead.
The above courtesy TMZ.
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