Jack Sherman, a guitarist who joined the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers for its debut album and first U.S. tour, has died at age 64, the band said.
The announcement of Sherman's death was made on Instagram early Saturday. No cause of death was cited.
"We of the RHCP family would like to wish Jack Sherman smooth sailing into the worlds beyond, for he has passed," the post read. "He was a unique dude and we thank him for all times good, bad and in between. Peace on the boogie platform."
Sherman's stint in the band was not a long one. He replaced on-again, off-again guitarist Hillel Slovak in time to play on the group's 1983 debut. Sherman also co-wrote much of the band's second studio album, "Freaky Styley," which was released two years later.
But by the time "Freaky Styley" came out, Sherman was out of the group, and Slovak was back in, for one of many stints to come.
Sherman later had lesser roles on two other Red Hot Chili Peppers albums — "Mother's Milk" and "The Abbey Road EP."
On Sunday, the band commemorated the anniversaries of two albums Sherman worked on, which came out on the same day, two years apart. "Freaky Styley" was released on Aug. 16 1985 and "Mother's Milk," came out in 1989.
Although many fans considered Sherman's contributions seminal and essential, Sherman was not among those named for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honors when the group was inducted eight years ago.
He was unhappy about being left out and blamed the band for influencing the decision to exclude him and Dave Navarro, another guitarist and former member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
"I'm being dishonored, and it sucks," Sherman told Billboard in 2012.
After leaving the Chili Peppers, Sherman found himself in demand as a session player in the late '80s and early '90s, taking the lead role on Tonio K.'s critically hailed "Notes from the Lost Civilization," as well as Bob Dylan's "Knocked Out Loaded" and albums by George Clinton and Feargal Sharkey.
