“I don’t regret leaving the situation, but I regret how I did it,” Sambora admitted over a decade after his exit.

Richie Sambora performs Bon Jovi hit at daughter’s wedding 13 years after abruptly leaving band

"I don't regret leaving the situation, but I regret how I did it," Sambora admitted over a decade after his exit.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

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June 4, 2026 2:39 p.m. ET

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Richie Sambora; Jon Bon Jovi. Credit:

Jo Hale/Redferns; Kevin Mazur/Getty

- Richie Sambora belted out Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" at his daughter Ava's wedding reception.

- The rocker was part of the band from 1983 until 2013, abruptly departing hours before a concert.

- "I don’t regret leaving the situation, but I regret how I did it,” Sambora admitted years later in the 2024 documentary *Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story*.

Richie Sambora is livin' on a prayer.

The former Bon Jovi rocker sang the band's classic song "Livin' on a Prayer" at his daughter Ava's wedding to Tyler Farrar in May, joining the wedding band onstage. He shared a video of the moment on Instagram as wedding guests belted out the chorus. Sambora shares Ava with ex Heather Locklear.

On May 30, Sambora posted a picture of him and his daughter, thanking fans for their well wishes. "I want to thank you all for all the beauty and love you’ve sent to my daughter and Tyler... we felt the good vibes, and it was so nice of you all to show us. I love you all…Richie," he wrote.

Sambora, who had been with Bon Jovi since 1983, left in 2013 during the first leg of the band's Because We Can tour hours before they took the stage in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He said the departure was over personal issues at the time, but years later claimed that he didn't have a choice. Guitarist Phil X took his place in 2016.

“It wasn’t a popular decision by any means, obviously, but there was really almost no choice about it. I had a lot of conscious work to do around [my personal life],” Sambora told PEOPLE in 2020.

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“I had people around me that loved me, and it was a good thing I got through it … I realized [daughter] Ava needed me to be around at that point in time. Family had to come first, and that’s what happened,” he said.

The only time Sambora has reunited with Jon Bon Jovi's band was for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in 2018. They performed "It's My Life," "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Livin' on a Prayer," and "When We Were Us."

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2018.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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In the 2024 Hulu documentary *Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story*, Sambora addressed his abrupt departure. "I don’t regret leaving the situation, but I regret how I did it,” he admitted. “So I’d like to apologize fully right now to the fans, especially, and also to the guys, because my feet and my spirit were just not letting me walk out the door.”

Richie Sambora and Jon Bon Jovi at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2018.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

In response to Sambora's apology, Bon Jovi said he wasn't shocked that Sambora apologized, but was focused on the drama within the band. “It was 11 years ago now, and it was not easy. The shock was when he didn’t show up, and the issues that he was having again. That was the shock, and then that was the disappointment.”

The rock star added, "He came clean in the film for the fans, so I guess it would end all the speculation that there was ever a fight [in the group] or any of that stuff. Because — as I’d stated 1,000 times — that was not the case. Just not the case.”

He also told * *that “you never say never," as far as Sambora returning goes. "I mean, he quit the band 11-plus years ago, and he's had to deal with a lot of things in his life. But there's no animosity."

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