Former GREAT WHITE singer JACK RUSSELL has been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and announces his withdrawal from touring

According to Pollstar, former BIG WHITE Singer Jack Russell has announced that he is retiring from touring.

“It is with the heaviest heart that I have to announce my withdrawal from the tour,” Russell said in a statement. “After a recent diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia and Multisystem Atrophy in May 2024, I am unable to play at the level I desire and deserve. Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love and support. Thank you for letting me live my dreams.”

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the second most common cause of neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer’s disease.

Lewy body dementia affects memory, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. It leads to motor and muscle weakness and stiffness. It can also cause sleep disturbances and hallucinations.

Because of its similarity to other neurodegenerative diseases, Lewy body dementia is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.

After actor and comedian Robin Williams committed suicide in August 2014; autopsy results revealed that he suffered from LBD.

Russell‘s long-awaited autobiography, now titled “The True Story of Mista Bone: A Rock + Roll Narrative”was just published about Gatekeeper pressFrom the author’s pen Katelyn Louise “KL” Dotycontains a sentimental foreword by Lisa Fordwith additional comments from Eric Singer, Eddie Trunk, Johannes Kalodner, Kip Winger and others. The book features a cover photo by the legendary rock photographer Mark Weissis available as paperback, hardcover and e-book.

For more information, visit www.jackrussellbook.com.

Russell completed BIG WHITE in December 2011 after being unable to tour with the group due to a series of injuries, including a perforated intestine and a broken pelvis. Jack He largely blamed these injuries on his addiction to alcohol and painkillers, as well as the drug prednisone that had been prescribed to him.

Russell sued his former bandmates in 2012 for the continued use of the BIG WHITE Name after Jack had taken a break from the band for health reasons. A short time later Russell was sued by the guitarist Mark KendallRhythm guitarist/keyboardist Michael Lardie and drummer Audie Desbrowand claimed that the singer’s self-destructive behavior was damaging the BIG WHITE Name (they also claimed that he had paid the promoters less for his own tour version of BIG WHITE). The parties reached an agreement in July 2013 without a trial. Russell now as Jack Russell’s large white while the others continue as BIG WHITE.

In an interview in December 2023 with Neil Jones from Total Rock, Russell was asked if he still enjoys touring. He replied, “I enjoy the hour and a half of playing. The rest of it, you can do whatever you want with it. It’s not fun. It’s hard. Traveling is just a pain – it’s really a pain. I mean, getting on planes and cars and buses and all that stuff is really a pain. We try to keep it to a minimum. We play maybe two, three shows a week. We try to play every weekend, because I don’t want to do a job that I don’t like. So I just keep it to what I can do, have fun doing it, and not complain about my back.”

He spoke in detail about his recent health setback. Jack said: “I had some problems with my back (2023 and 2022). That’s why I had to take a little time off. It’s finally getting better. But actually my back had to be stiffened with my neck.”

When asked whether this was “just due to the rigors of the road over the years”, Jack said: “Yeah, (just from) hitting the boards for 47 years, just jumping up and down and acting like an idiot.”

Russell spoke about his operation last October in an interview with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station. At the time, he said: “I had a fusion in my neck and back, so it was a pretty bad operation. It kept me off the stage for a while. I couldn’t even move my neck. It kind of ruined my voice a little bit and then it finally came back. But it was really strange, really strange… Yes, it’s coming back, slowly but surely. I meet people – they can’t tell. They say to me, ‘You sounded the same as you did in 1985.’ I say, ‘No.’ It’s like, ‘Okay, cool. Fantastic.'”

In October 2022 BIG WHITE officially named Brett Carlisle as the new lead singer. Carlisle The band will replace Andrew Freemanwho sang for BIG WHITE only for five months.

Carlisle made his live debut with BIG WHITE on September 24, 2022 at the Cannery Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Photo courtesy of Frontiers Music Srl