Jack Sonni, the Dire Straits guitarist has died at age 68, the band announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Soni had for years been playing with Dire Straits Legacy, a group of musicians who had formerly toured with the band. In Tuesday’s announcement, the social media post said he would be unable to perform with the group because of ill health. The cause of death has not been announced the Mirror reported
Sonni, originally from Pennsylvania was working at New York City guitar shop Rudy’s Music Stop in 1978 where he met the group’s founders David and Mark Knopfler, the Mirror said. He visited the Knoflers in London. After David and Hal Lindes left the band, the Knoflers invited Sonni to join them. He played on the 1984 recording sessions of their most remembered album “Brothers in Arms.” He played guitar synthesizer on the song “The Man’s Too Strong”. He also played on the Dire Straits’ “BiA Tour” in 1985 and played with the Band at the Live Aid Concert at Wembley on July 13, 1985, according to his biography on direstraitsblog.