Jack Sonni, former guitarist for British rock band Dire Straits, died at age 68. The band confirmed the news Friday on social media.
"A sad farewell to our old friend Jack Sonni, whom I met when he was working at Rudy's Music Stop on 48th St." frontman Mark Knopfler wrote in a statement on X. "Jack was a genuine guitar enthusiast who loved to play, jam, and talk guitars and amps all day.
"He joined us on tour during the Brothers in Arms era and took to life on the road with the band like a fish to water. Jack made friends wherever he went and will be missed by his many pals worldwide. Our thoughts are with his family at this time."
No cause of death was given.
Born in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Sonni was working in a guitar shop in Manhattan in 1978 when he met founding Dire Straits members and guitarists David and Mark Knopfler, who had formed the band a year prior with bassist John Illsley and drummer Pick Withers, according to CNN.
Sonni performed on the band's "Brothers in Arms," which shot to international success, and the subsequent tour.
After its 1985 release, the album held the top spot on the U.K. charts for 14 weeks and topped the Billboard Top 200 for nine weeks. CNN reported global sales of over 30 million copies of the album. Additionally, "Brothers in Arms" is reported as being the first album to surpass 1 million copies in CD format.
"I'm extremely proud of being part of that album," Sonni said in an interview. "Besides being a commercial success, it is a fantastic artistic achievement. The tour supporting that album was really the band at its finest."
In addition to his musical career, Sonni was also a writer and hosted a podcast, "The Leisure Class with Jack Sonni."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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