‘One of the Last Great Guitarists' Turns 59 Today

Dave Navarro is an iconic musician from the rock band Jane's Addiction. He also played guitar for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and released his own solo album, Trust No One. Henry Rollins, the singer from the hardcore band Black Flag, once dubbed him "one of the last great guitarists." Today, he turns 59.

Navarro started out performing when he was only a teenager. As reported by Louder Sound, he said, "My first gig was at MacArthur Park, when I was in high school. There were about 15 people there. It was amazing, the highlight of my life. [Future Jane's drummer] Stephen Perkins was playing the drums, and here we are over 30 years later, and Stephen and I spoke this morning. Amazing!"

Unfortunately, Jane's Addiction is no longer together. In September 2024, their frontman, Perry Farrell, threw a punch at Navarro during one of their shows. The band released a statement shortly after that said, "Due to a continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell, we have come to the conclusion that we have no choice but to discontinue the current US tour. Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative."

Related: 1971 Folk Rock Song Was Inspired by a Classic Van Gogh Painting

The group broke up shortly after. As reported by Variety, the band released a statement that said, "After that show, without notice to Perry, we unilaterally determined it would be best to not continue the tour and made inaccurate statements about Perry's mental health which we regret. Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane's Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together. We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors. Jane's Addiction will forever live in our hearts. We are proud of the music we created together."

Throughout his career, Navarro received multiple Grammy Award nominations and won an MTV Video Music Award for the song "Been Caught Stealing." In addition to performing, Navarro also appeared as a host and judge on the tattoo competition series, Ink Master, for several seasons. He exited the show in 2022.

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 7:45 AM.