Jack Sherman, Early Guitarist With the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dies at 64

Jack Sherman, Early Guitarist With the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dies at 64
The Red Hot Chili Peppers perform onstage at the MusiCares 2005 Person of the Year Tribute to Brian Wilson at the Palladium in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 11, 2005. (Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)
8/22/2020
Updated:
8/22/2020

Jack Sherman, a guitarist who played on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ debut album, has died at 64, the band announced on Instagram.

“He was a unique dude and we thank him for all times good, bad and in between. Peace on the boogie platform,” the post reads.

The cause of death was not disclosed.

The full Instagram post reads: “We of the RHCP family would like to wish Jack Sherman smooth sailing into the worlds beyond, for he has passed. 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.”

Not Included in Hall Induction

Sherman was the second of at least eight guitarists with the chart-topping band over the years. He played on “Red Hot Chili Peppers” in 1984, toured, and co-wrote some songs for the follow-up, “Freaky Styley.”

The band’s later albums included smashes like “Californication” and “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” with hits including “Give It Away.”

The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Sherman, though, was not included.

“It’s really painful to see all this celebrating going on and be excluded,” Sherman told Billboard at the time. “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.”

Singer Anthony Kiedis wrote in his autobiography, “God bless Jack, he did keep the band afloat for a year, and if he hadn’t, the years to follow probably wouldn’t have.”
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