Richie Sambora Checks Into Rehab After MTV Unplugged Fiasco
Friday June 08, 2007 @ 05:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

Richie Sambora

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora has checked into a treatment facility in Los Angeles following an MTV Unplugged taping in New York City on Tuesday that's been labelled by some as "a complete and utter disaster."

The 47-year-old musician and ex-husband of Heather Locklear checked into the undisclosed rehab centre the day after the taping. Sambora has admittedly had a rough year, with his father's death from cancer following closely on the heels of both his break-up with actress Denise Richards and the finalization of his divorce from Locklear, with whom he shares a daughter. Though these events seem to have taken their toll, the specifics of Sambora's troubles and resulting treatment weren't disclosed by the band's publicist, who instead requested that the public "respect he and his family's privacy at this time."

Bon Jovi, whose acoustic performance of "Wanted Dead Or Alive" at the channel's Video Music Awards in 1989 was the inspiration for the MTV Unplugged series, performed a set for the cameras intended to revive the show. But within a day, celebrity gossip sites were buzzing over the event, with multiple sources claiming that Sambora struggled to play along to the music. According to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, Sambora had his mic turned off at various points and additional musicians were on hand to cover his flubs.

Bon Jovi's Lost Highway album will be released on June 19. It's not known if Sambora's treatment will interfere with any of the band's promotional obligations. They have a few dates scheduled for the summer, but the bulk of touring in support of the disc won't begin until next year.

—Daniel Vest