Jon Bon Jovi’s mother, Carol A. Bongiovi, has died. She was 83. Carol died on Tuesday, July 9, three days before her 84th birthday, at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, people confirmed.
“We will greatly miss our mother; her enthusiasm and can-do attitude helped form our family,” Bon Jovi, 62, said in a statement on behalf of his family.
Carol was a businesswoman who ran multiple enterprises in addition to founding the fan club for her son’s namesake band. The Erie, Pennsylvania native and Playboy Bunny joined the United States Marine Corps in 1959, where she served her nation honorably and met her future husband, John Bongiovi, Sr.
The pair eventually relocated to Sayreville, New Jersey, where she and her husband reared their family. They eventually relocated to Holmdel, New Jersey, where she lived until her death.
During an interview with The Big Issue in November 2020, Bon Jovi acknowledged his parents for providing him with “the ability to make the dream reality.”
He said, “Even if you truly weren’t any good at your craft, if you believed you were, you could practice.” ” As I grew older, I recognized what a wonderful gift I received from my parents. They fully believed in John Kennedy’s motto of traveling to the moon. ‘Yes, of course, you can travel to the moon. Just go, Johnny. And then I went.
When he was 17, the musician revealed how his parents encouraged him to pursue his aspirations by allowing him to play gigs.
“They were always supportive of me, which in retrospect was fantastic. I might get home at 1 or 2 a.m. and have to be at school by 8. They just said, “Show up on time for school; you know that is your responsibility, but pursue your dream,” he stated.
Her 63-year-old husband, three sons and daughters-in-law—Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi, Anthony and Nina Yang Bongiovi, and Matthew and Desiree Bongiovi—and eight devoted grandchildren survive Carol.