Who are Jon Bon Jovi's parents? Rock legend issues statement as mother, Carol passes away at 83 

American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor Jon Bon Jovi’s mother, Carol Bongiovi, passed away on Tuesday, July 9, at the age of 83. So far, the cause of her demise remains undisclosed.

Fondly called Mom Jovi among Jon Bon Jovi’s fans, Carol Bongiovi died at the Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, three days before her 84th birthday. In the wake of her passing, the rock legend issued a statement.

“Our mother was a force to be reckoned with; her spirit and can-do attitude shaped this family. She will be greatly missed,” Bon Jovi shared with the press on behalf of his family.

Carol Bongiovi is survived by her three sons, including Jon, their spouses, eight grandkids, her own husband of 63 years, and Bon Jovi’s father, John Francis Bongiovi Sr.

Her private funeral will be organized by the Holmdel Funeral Home which has set up a tribute page on its website where everyone is welcome to share their condolences.

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All you need to know about Jon Bon Jovi’s parents

Jon Bon Jovi was born John Francis Bongiovi Jr. in New Jersey in March 1962. His father, John Francis Bongiovi Sr., was a barber with Italian-Slovak ancestry, while his mother, Carol Sharkey Bongiovi, was a former Playboy model turned florist who had a Russian-German origin but was raised in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Both of them were also ex-Marines and met each other in the 1950s while they were enlisted. After the couple left the military services the following decade, they moved to Holmdel, New Jersey, where they built a family, including their sons Jon, Anthony, and Matthew.

As per Laura Jackson’s biography of Jon Bon Jovi, his mother encouraged him to pursue music and would pose with him in front of a mirror and “perform songs” together.

It was also Carol Bongiovi who got Bon Jovi an acoustic guitar and encouraged him to learn how to play it when he was just 7 years old. Eventually, when Jon became a successful musician, it was his mother who founded the Bon Jovi band’s fan club.

In 2021, Carol Bongiovi along with her husband John Bongiovi Sr. appeared together in the music video for Jon Bon Jovi’s Story of Love.

During a 2020 interview with The Big Issue, the Blaze of Glory singer credited his parents for his career and turning his “dream” into a “reality.

“Even if you truly weren’t any good at your craft, if you believed you were, you could work on it. As I got older, I realized that was a great gift that I got from my folks. They truly believed in the John Kennedy mantra of going to the moon. ‘Yeah, of course, you can go to the moon. Just go, Johnny.’ And there I went,” he shared.

In the same interview, the Livin' on a Prayer hitmaker recalled how his parents inspired him to take up music gigs when he was 17 and was incredibly "supportive" of his career

"I could get home at one or two in the morning and have to still be in school by eight o’clock. They just said, show up on time for school, you know that is your responsibility, but pursue your dream," he noted.

Notably, John Bongiovi Sr., who is now 85 years old, is the man behind the popular Bongiovi Brand pasta sauce and first became famous for his recipe among New Jersey local musicians in the 1980s. Even today, Jon Bon Jovi’s father is associated with his Soul Kitchen community restaurant in the Red Bank area and visits it frequently.