The founding singer of the great white rock band, who was involved in a tragic fire, was 63 years old

Jack Russell, the singer of the 1980s hair metal group Great White, died Thursday at age 63 from multisystem atrophy and Lewy body dementia, Rolling Stone reported.

Russell announced his retirement from touring last month following his diagnosis.

“I am unable to play at the level I desire and that you deserve,” Russell said on social media at the time. “Words cannot express my gratitude for the many years of memories, love and support.”

His family remembered him today.

“Jack will be loved and remembered for his sense of humor, his extraordinary joy for life and his unwavering contribution to rock ‘n’ roll, where his legacy will live on forever,” his family wrote in an online statement.

Great White was formed in Los Angeles in 1977 and rode the metal wave of the mid-1980s with the platinum-selling album in 1987. Once bitten and its successor from 1989, … Twice Shy. The band’s songs Rock me And A burned child fears the fire, were important pillars of MTV.

Russell left the group in 1996, but returned in 2001 when they toured under the name Jack Russell’s Great White.

Great White was the main attraction at The Station nightclub in 2003 when the group’s pyrotechnics ignited a fire in the acoustic foam of the ceiling. Within six minutes, the entire club was ablaze. 100 people were killed, including the band’s guitarist Ty Longley, and 230 were injured. It remains the deadliest fireworks accident in US history.

Lawsuits against several parties, including Great White, were settled with monetary settlements by 2008.

He is survived by his wife Heather Ann Russell and his son Matthew Hucko. A public memorial service is planned at a later date.