Dire Straits legend dead: Band pays tribute to ‘other guitarist’ Jack Sonni after he passes away at the age of 68

Dire Straits guitarist Jack Sonni has passed away at the age of 68.

The musician’s passing was announced in a touching post the band posted online.

Sonni was known as “the other guitarist” during the group’s Brothers in Arms era, named after their fifth album, released in 1985.

His cause of death has not been disclosed.

Sonni was working at famed guitar shop Rudy’s Music Stop in New York City in the 1970s when he first met David and Mark Knopfler, the co-founders of The Dire Straits.

He played with the band at the iconic 1985 Live Aid concert at Wembley Stadium, raising money for the famine that hit Ethiopia.

Following the news of Jack’s death, many fans took to social media to pay tribute.

Born in Indiana, Pennsylvania after his collaboration with Dire Straits, Jack contributed to a range of works by other musicians, but ended his professional musical career when his twin daughters were born in 1988.

He began a second career as a marketing manager, first at Seymour Duncan, then at Rivera Guitar Amplifiers, followed by several years as director of marketing communications at Line 6, a manufacturer of digital technology products for musicians.

In 2001, he became vice president of marketing communications for Guitar Center.

In the summer of 2006, Sonni left Guitar Center to write books and moved to San Jose del Cabo and then California.

He was writer-in-residence and house manager at the Noepe Center for Literary Arts on Martha’s Vineyard until its closure in 2017.

He had also started playing music regularly again with his band, The Leisure Class.