Carol Bongiovi, the mother of rocker Jon Bon Jovi, died Tuesday at Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch, New Jersey at the age of 83.
Bon Jovi, 62, confirmed his mother’s passing in a statement to People on Tuesday; her cause of death was not immediately announced.
‘Our mother was a force to be reckoned with, her spirit and can-do attitude shaped this family,’ the rock stalwart told the outlet in a statement. ‘She will be greatly missed.’
Carol, who had been nicknamed Mom Jovi by some fans of the band, was set to celebrate turning 84 in three days, according to the outlet.
The family will conduct a private funeral service at Holmdel Funeral Home, People reported.
Carol Bongiovi was the proprietor of a number of businesses, and also presided over her son’s fan club, according to the publication.
A native of Erie, Pennsylvania, Carol in 1959 enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. She met her nascent husband John Bongiovi, Sr. – who she was married to for 63 years – during her time of service.
The pair subsequently relocated to Sayreville, New Jersey.
They eventually wound up in Holmdel, New Jersey, according to the outlet.
Carol was also ‘a former Playboy model,’ according to 2021 story from Asbury Park Press, and at one time ran a flower shop in Woodbridge, New Jersey with her husband.
A 2005 biographical book about the singer by author Laura Jackson, titled Jon Bon Jovi, indicated that Carol had encouraged Jon’s path into music from an early age, according to Variety.
She purchased him an acoustic guitar and encouraged him to learn how to play, which he got serious about in his teens, according to the memoir.
The musical matriarch ‘would line up with her elder son before a full-length mirror (where) together they had fun watching themselves perform songs,’ according to the book. ‘
The I’ll Be There for You artist in November of 2020 said that his parents empowered him and his siblings with ‘the ability to make the dream reality.’
‘Even if you truly weren’t any good at your craft, if you believed you were, you could work on it,’ he told The Big Issue.
He added: ‘As I got older I realized that was a great gift that I got from my folks.’
The Keep the Faith vocalist continued: ‘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.’
In the piece, Bon Jovi said his mother and father ‘were always supportive of’ his musical aspirations, and were fine with him performing in shows at the age of 17, ‘which in retrospect, was incredible.’
Bon Jovi said: ‘I could get home at one or two in the morning, and have to still be in school by [8 a.m.] … they just said, “Show up on time for school, you know that is your responsibility, but pursue your dream.”‘
The singer honored his parents in the music video for the band’s 2021 ballad Story of Love, as he was pictured performing in front of a black-and-white picture of his parents when they were younger.
Carol is survived by her spouse John Bongiovi, Sr., three sons (Jon Bon Jovi, Anthony Bongiovi, Matthew Bongiovi), three daughters-in-law (Dorothea Bon Jovi, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Desiree Bongiovi) and eight grandchildren.
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Source: Tampa Bay Times
