More bad news for Richie Sambora fans. Bon Jovi recently revealed that the guitarist will be sitting out the upcoming European and South African legs of their current ‘Because We Can’ tour, which kicks off on May 7.

The official Bon Jovi website broke the news with a message that said: “Due to a personal matter, Richie Sambora will not be performing on the European and South African leg of the tour. All shows will go on as scheduled."

Fans and anonymous sources have been speculating about Sambora’s untimely departure since he left the tour shortly after the start of the North American run in early April. Sambora himself though has been very quiet about the details, only recently taking the time to reach out to his fans on Twitter, saying, “Hey everybody... Just want you all to know I'm all good... Thanks for all the positive vibes."

Some consolation though, Jon Bon Jovi went on record on the Ellen DeGeneres show confirming that Sambora is still very much a part of the band, explaining, “Okay…well…all I can say is that, honest to God, it’s a personal matter, but we love him very much and he’s absolutely still a member of the band.”

Bon Jovi will return to the States to finish up the U.S. dates in July.

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