Iconic 1980s rocker Richie Sambora, long associated for his time in Bon Jovi has given a new interview, discussing why he left the band. He has never publicly talked about his split from the band. In a new interview with People Magazine, Richie chatted about how his relationship with his daughter influenced his entire career to be home more than the typical rocker, and how he ultimately retired from the band as a result of family taking precedent over a life on the road. He says he has no regrets about leaving the band. 

Sambora commented: 

“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],

“We’ve been through a lot of things together. That was a time of psychological maintenance for the family,” he says in the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands now. “You know, I ain’t no angel. But I realized, Ava needed me to be around at that point in time. Family had to come first, and that’s what happened.”

“My lord, when I look back and start to list the tours … 18-and-a-half months of being on the road, 52 countries,” he says. “It’s like, Wow. It was really time for a break. We did that 14 times over a 31-year period.”

“I’m lucky enough to have an amazing relationship with my daughter,” says Sambora, who enjoyed overseeing get-togethers in the backyard so he could “keep an eye” on who her friends were. Driving his daughter to and from high school every morning was when they really bonded.

“That’s where the conversation went down. She was captive in my car for those 30 minutes. She couldn’t get out,” he says with a laugh as he recalls chats with his “smart and fun” girl. “You can find out what you needed to find out and see how she’s feeling and all that kind of stuff. We’ve always had a very open, conversational relationship. I just said, ‘Hey, you can tell me anything. I’m going to be on your side.'”

https://people.com/music/richie-sambora-left-bon-jovi-b