Red Hot Chili Peppers' Guitarist Jack Sherman Dies At 64 Years Old Of Unknown Causes

Aug 22, 2020 by apost team

At 64 years old, former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Jack Sherman has died, though the cause of death has yet to be announced. The award-winning American band — currently comprised of Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary (a.k.a. Flea), Chad Smith, and John Frusciante — took to Instagram on Friday, Aug. 21 to announce Sherman’s passing.

In the Instagram farewell, which was posted alongside an old black and white photo of the band, the Chili Peppers called the musician “unique.”

“We of the RHCP family would like to wish Jack Sherman smooth sailing into the worlds beyond, for he has passed,” the statement read. “Jack played on our debut album as well as our first tour of the USA. He was a unique dude and we thank him for all times good, bad and in between. Peace on the boogie platform.”

apost.com

Sherman was part of the band in the early 1980s, playing on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ self-titled debut album along with later appearances on Freaky Styley (1985), The Abbey Road E.P. (1988), and Mother's Milk (1989).

The Independent reports that Sherman replaced guitarist Hillel Slovak in 1983, though his stay with the band was short due to disputes with frontman Kiedis and bassist Flea.

To his disappointment, Sherman was left out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 while eight other Red Hot Chili Pepper bandmates were included.

"It's really painful to see all this celebrating going on and be excluded," Sherman told Billboard back in 2012. "I'm not claiming that I've brought anything other to the band... but to have soldiered on under arduous conditions to try to make the thing work, and I think that's what you do in a job, looking back. And that's been dishonored. I'm being dishonored, and it sucks."

Speaking to Billboard about the decision to exclude Sherman, Andy Gill, who plays for the band Gang of Four and produced the Chili Pepper's first album, said that Sherman was "significant to the band's history."

"I do find him to be significant to the band's history, very much part of getting the funk guitar in there. They just really rubbed each other up the wrong way," he said.

Over his decades-long career, Sherman has worked with a whole host of musicians from Bob Dylan to Tonio K. and George Clinton. According to AllMusic, Sherman’s most recent contributions have been to Jürgen Engler’s The Devil’s Domain Soundtrack as an editor in 2017 and to Eric Culberson’s 2010 album In The Outside as a guest artist.

Rest in peace, Jack Sherman. Do you have a favorite Red Hot Chili Pepper's song? Let us know and keep Sherman's memory alive by passing this story on.