Former Dire Straits guitarist Jack Sonni, aged 68, has passed away, according to an announcement made by the band on social media. The band paid tribute to Sonni with a black-and-white photo of him on their Twitter account, expressing their condolences with the hashtag #JackSonni Rest In Peace.
Sonni, originally from Indiana, Pennsylvania, crossed paths with Dire Straits founding members David and Mark Knopfler while working at a Manhattan guitar store in 1978. As stated in a blog post shared by the band, Sonni joined the group, known as “the other guitarist,” and played with them on their highly successful album, “Brothers in Arms.” The album achieved immense popularity, spending 14 weeks at number one in the UK and nine weeks at number one on the Billboard Top 200. With over 30 million copies sold worldwide, “Brothers in Arms” was also the first album to surpass one million CD sales, according to Billboard.
Reacting to the news of Sonni’s passing, bassist John Illsley expressed his sadness and fond memories of their time together on the “Brothers in Arms” tour in a Facebook post.
Apart from his music career, Sonni was also a writer and hosted a podcast called “The Leisure Class with Jack Sonni.”
The loss of Jack Sonni has undoubtedly left a void in the music industry and the hearts of fans around the world.