Alec John Such, Founding Bon Jovi Member and Bassist, Dead at 70: ‘Always Wild and Full of Life’

“We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alec John Such,” Bon Jovi shared Sunday on Twitter of their former bassist and founding member

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 14: Inductee Alec John Such of Bon Jovi speaks onstage during the 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Auditorium on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)

PHOTO: THEO WARGO/GETTY FOR THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

Alec John Such, a bassist and one of the founding members of Bon Jovi, has died. He was 70.

The Grammy Award winning band announced Such’s death Sunday with a heartfelt tribute on Twitter. They did not disclose a cause of death.

“We are heartbroken to hear the news of the passing of our dear friend Alec John Such,” they shared. “He was an original. As a founding member of Bon Jovi, Alec was integral to the formation of the band.”

“To be honest, we found our way to each other thru him – He was a childhood friend of Tico [Torres, drummer] and brought Richie [Sambora, guitarist and co-songwriter] to see us perform. Alec was always wild and full of life. Today those special memories bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye. We’ll miss him dearly,” the band wrote.

A source close to Sambora, 62, tells PEOPLE, “He and Richie were very close. Richie never had a bad word to say about him.”

The band also shared a video tribute, featuring a live performance of their 1988 song “Blood On Blood,” cut with photos and footage from over the years of Such with his bandmates, including singer Jon Bon Jovi and keyboardist David Bryan.

“Now to my bandmates, we had so many great times together and I just love them to death, always will,” Such said in one throwback clip, adding in another: “The Bon Jovi band is definitely a family.”

Portrait of American rock band Bon Jovi backstage before a performance, Illinois, early March, 1987. Pictured are, from left, David Bryan, Tico Torres, Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and Alec John Such. (Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)

PAUL NATKIN/GETTY

Born Nov. 14, 1951, in Yonkers, New York, Such was tapped by Bon Jovi, 60, and Bryan, 60, to form the band in 1983. He later quit in 1994 and was replaced by Hugh McDonald.

Such and Sambora reunited with the band in Feb. 2018, when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“When Jon Bon Jovi called me up and asked me to be in his band many years ago, I soon realized how serious he was and he had a vision that he wanted to bring us to,” Such said during the ceremony. “And I am only too happy to have been a part of that vision.”