Dire Straits guitarist Jack Sonni has died at the age of 68, the rock ‘n’ roll band has revealed.
Sonni was known as ‘the other guitarist’ during the group’s Brothers in Arms era, named after their fifth album, released in 1985.
Jack Sonni cause of death
The band confirmed the touring icon’s death in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.
The sad news comes after Dire Straits Legacy – an official group of musicians who formerly toured with the band – announced on Facebook the guitarist had been suffering from ill health on Tuesday.
It read: “Dear fans, unfortunately, Jack Sonni will not be able to participate in our next gigs because of health problems. Jack get better soon, we are waiting for you! With love, the DSL family.”
No cause of death has yet been confirmed.
#JackSonni 🎸 Rest In Peace 🙏#DireStraits pic.twitter.com/W3vx65bY5h
— Dire Straits 🎸 (@DireStraits77) August 31, 2023
Who was Jack Sonni ?
Jack Sonni , of Indiana, Pennsylvania, worked at the iconic New York City guitar shop Rudy’s Music Stop in the 1970s when he first met the band’s co-founders David and Mark Knopfler.
He played alongside Dire Straits at the 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium that raised money for the famine that hit Ethiopia.
Describing his experience at Live Aid, he said: “Exhilarating, surreal and a dream come true.
“It was an amazing, special day not just for me but the world and I’m grateful and proud to have been a part of it.”
Tributes pours to Jack Sonni death
Music fans have paid tribute to Jack Sonni as news of his death has emerged.
One fan reminisced that they saw him perform twice during The Brothers in Arms Tour and posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “He made his red coat iconic in Live Aid.”
Another said: “Jack Sonni embraced a philosophy to Live Well and Live Now in pursuit of creating memorable moments with friends and family.”
Dire Straits’ fans said they remembered him for his performance of the group’s hit track Tunnel of Love in 1985.
Hundreds of fans have posted tributes on the musician’s Facebook page.
In interviews, Sonni joked about his nickname as “the other guitarist” in Dire Straits.
Speaking to Ring Side Report, he said: “Over the years, people introduced me as the guitar player in Dire Straits, and most folks would say, ‘But isn’t that Mark Knopfler?’
“And I would say, ‘Yes, I’m the other guitar player.'”
Jack Sonni left Dire Straits in 1988 and quit the music industry before, in his words, getting “a day job in marketing and advertising and focused on raising my twin daughters.”
In June 2021, Sonni was living in the tiny town of Taylor, Mississippi.
Speaking to The Martha’s Vineyard Times at the time about his life, he said: “Both my grandfathers were coal miners. One Italian and one Polish, and one of them lost an arm in a mining accident.
“Somehow it spurred this whole thing about mines and trying to escape where you come from, but you can’t.
“I’ve led a nomadic life for decades. For all my world traveling, I’m a kid from Western Pennsylvania.”
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