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Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Jack Sherman dead aged 64

Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Jack Sherman has died at age 64, according to an announcement on the band’s Instagram account.

“We of the RHCP family would like to wish Jack Sherman smooth sailing into the worlds beyond, for he has passed,” the band’s statement read.

Jack Sherman, former guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, poses for a portrait 1998. (Photo: Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Jack Sherman, former guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Photo: Getty Images

“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.”

No cause of death was given.

Jack joined the Chili Peppers in 1983, and played on the pioneering funk-rock band’s self-titled debut album after founding guitarist Hillel Slovak left to focus on his main band with Peppers drummer Jack Irons.

Jack and drummer Cliff Martinez were then recruited by core RHCP members Anthony Kiedis and Flea to replace Hillel and Irons for 1984’s Andy Gill-produced The Red Hot Chili Peppers; Jack co-wrote five of that album’s 11 tracks.

red hot chili peppers
Jack joined the Chili Peppers in 1983. Photo: Instagram/RHCP

Jack was fired from the Peppers after Hillel rejoined, but he still had co-writing credits on seven of the 14 songs on the band’s George Clinton-produced 1985 sophomore album, Freaky Styley. Jack also provided backing vocals to two tracks on RHCP’s 1988 breakthrough LP, Mother’s Milk.

Despite Sherman’s notable contributions to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ discography, he was controversially not among the members inducted with the band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

Despite the Hall snub, Jack’s tenure with RHCP holds a special place in the band’s legacy. Andy Gill told Billboard that Sherman was “significant to the band's history, very much part of getting the funk guitar in there,” though he acknowledged that “they just really rubbed each other up the wrong way.”

Reporting by Lyndsey Parker

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