Richie Sambora has been fired from Bon Jovi over money issues, leaving the 54-year-old lead guitarist for the rock band sort of high and dry, according to sources.
Sources close to the band told RumorFix.com that Sambora’s departure stemmed from the fact that he was making $2 million a month and 20 percent of the profits from the tour, while his fill-in guitarist, Philip "Phil X" Xenidis was paid just $10,000 a month.
Despite the fact that Sambora will still collect profits from Bon Jovi merchandise and songwriting royalties for the rest of his life, the Jersey-born rocker, who has played with the band since its start in 1983, is not taking the divorce well according to the source.
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"Richie wants to go back onstage – that’s his first love," the source told RumorFix.com. "He’s really upset over the news.
It was not reported when the split occurred, however
the Hollywood Reporter noted that in the spring Sambora departed the group citing a "personal matter."
Rather than address the firing, Sambora has reportedly been posting photos of he and his daughter on Twitter and plugging songs from his most recent solo album – "Aftermath of the Lowdown."
While Sambora has yet to comment or acknowledge the split publicly, his music might be speaking for him, with one of his latest songs titled "Come Back as Me," seeming to take aim at the band's lead vocalist and songwriter, Jon Bon Jovi.
Earlier this month, the former Bon Jovi lead guitarist took to Twitter to dispel the rumors.
In addition to his most recent solo album, Sambora has released two other solo albums during his 30-year-career, "Stranger in This Town" in 1991 and "Undiscovered Soul" in 1998.
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Sambora, who lives in Los Angeles and owns a beach house in Laguna Beach as well as other properties, has an estimated
net worth of $65 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.
The Sayreville, N.J. rock band, known for such hits as "Livin' on a Prayer," "I'll Be There for You," and "Bad Medicine," has yet to comment on Sambora's dismissal.
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