The legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi is in mourning this week after the death of his mother Carol Bongiovi, a veteran of the United States Marines. She died on Tuesday just three days before what would have been her 84th birthday.
Bon Jovi’s Mother Passes Away
Bon Jovi confirmed that his mother died on July 9 at the Monmouth Medical Center, in Long Branch, New Jersey.
“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, 62, told People Magazine.
Carol is survived by her husband of 63 years, John Bongiovi Senior. She is also survived by Bon Jovi as well as his brothers Anthony Bongiovi and Matthew Bongiovi. She additionally has eight grandchildren who survive her.
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Carol Was One Of Bon Jovi’s Earliest Fans
Bon Jovi had long praised his mother as being one of his earliest fans. She even founded his eponymous fan club decades ago, and she was affectionately known as “Mom Jovi” to his fans.
“[My parents] were always supportive of me, which in retrospect, was incredible,” Bon Jovi told the Big Issue in 2020 when asked about launching his band as a teenager.
“I could get home at one or two in the morning, and have to still be in school by eight o’clock,” he remembered. “They just said, ‘Show up on time for school, you know that is your responsibility, but pursue your dream.’”
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Carol’s History
Born Carol Sharkey in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1940, the mother of Bon Jovi was a model and Playboy Bunny. She later enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where she met her future husband, according to Variety.
After they were each discharged from the Marines, Carol and John moved to Sayreville, New Jersey. There, they ran a flower shop. They welcomed the son that would become Bon Jovi in 1962.
In her biography of Bon Jovi, author Laura Jackson wrote that Carol encouraged her son to perform from an early age. Carol “would line up with her elder son before a full-length mirror (where) together they had fun watching themselves perform songs.”
Carol bought Bon Jovi an acoustic guitar when he was only 7, and she encouraged him to learn to play it. The rest, as they say, was history, and Bon Jovi has since become one of the most popular musicians of all time. Over the years, Carol became a staple at Bon Jovi concerts, cheering on her son whenever she could.
The Bongiovi family will be holding a private funeral service for Carol at the Holmdel Funeral Home. Please join us in saying a prayer for them as they grieve her loss.
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