Richie Sambora On Leaving Bon Jovi: ‘My Daughter Needed Me Around’

Richie Sambora opened up in an interview about his 2013 decision to leave Bon Jovi. He told People.com that he needed to be with his daughter Ava, who was 16 at the time.

He said, “We've been through a lot of things together. That was a time of psychological maintenance for the family. You know, I ain't no angel. But I realized, Ava needed me to be around at that point in time. Family had to come first, and that's what happened.”

Sambora, who overcame an addiction to painkillers and an over-reliance on alcohol and stints in rehab in 2007 and 2011, says the rock and roll lifestyle eventually took its toll.

Sambora said “It wasn't a popular decision by any means, obviously, but there was really almost no choice about it.”

While touring with Bon Jovi, Sambora would routinely fly home for quick visits with his daughter Ava, rather than stay on location.

Ava commented about her rock and roll dad and said: “He showed up to every dance recital I performed in and all of my school functions no matter how far he had to travel. He even flew all the way from Australia to surprise me at my father-daughter dance.”

Ava’s mother is actress, Heather Locklear.