From cleaning floors at a record label to the world’s sexiest rock star: the incredible life of Bon Jovi

The musician, who turns 62 today, knew he wanted to be a rock star in high school. His mother, one of the first Playboy bunnies, had encouraged his interest in music. The rise to fame of a musician who tried everything, but chose to remain faithful to his high school sweetheart and become a family man

Jon Bon Jovi kicked off 2024 with a recognition of his career and altruism at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala in Los Angeles, California (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

John Francis Bongiovi, better known as Jon Bon Jovi, could be said to have been born with a guitar in his hands. He had the privilege of growing up in a family that, in addition to encouraging his musical side, accompanied him on the path to his dreams. When he was seven years old, he received his first guitar as a gift. It was the idea of ​​his mother, Carol Sharkey, a Beatles fanatic, who had connections to the world of entertainment. She was one of the first Playboy bunnies. His father was a barber, but when he met Carol he was a soldier in the Navy. John is the couple’s firstborn. Later, his brothers Matthew and Anthony were born.

“I’m going to be a rock star ,” he announced to his family one day while in high school in his hometown of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. He was not a good student. Nor did he have much interest in studying music. He said that once, frustrated, he threw his guitar down the stairs of his house and dropped out of school. When he reconciled with his family, he gained momentum and took up his studies seriously. He took piano, violin and trumpet lessons. Together with his friend David Bryan, he founded his first band called Atlantic City Expressway.

In 1978, this friend managed to get into the Juilliard School of Music in New York. John accompanied his friend, with the support of his family. There he got a job as a cleaning staff at a recording studio. And it was there, secretly, that he recorded his first song , Runaway , on a cassette , which had taken him no more than a week to write. He did so to send it to a radio contest, where his musical career took off. Because of this song, which was successful and heard throughout the United States, he got his first record contract in 1983 with Polygram. At the same time that he chose his stage name, Jon Bon Jovi, he had to sign his bandmates as well because of the requirements of the contract. He chose David Bryan, Richie Sambora, Tico Torres and Alec Such.

Jon Bon Jovi in ​​concert, 1987 (Getty)

At concerts, the audience was dominated by women. It was the eighties, the era of bands with long hair wearing tights or tight pants. And Bon Jovi was a hit. His attractive image did not always work in his favor. The man who was named the sexiest rock star by People magazine in 2000 once said: “I am a composer, I write songs and I am dedicated to entertainment. I can’t help it if they say I am a pretty boy, I just try not to pay attention to that,” he said in an interview he gave in 1987.

In his early days with the band, he was forced to break off his relationship with his high school classmate, Dorothea Hurley, who is now his long-time wife . In those days, showing “availability” in front of fans was a requirement for singers. Not to mention gays who had to appear heterosexual and without a girlfriend. Dorothea was the cool, rebellious girl at school who Jon loved from the first moment. “ We fell in love and we didn’t separate, we didn’t even go to the prom or the dance. That night we ran away to the beach to listen to music and go for rides in his car,” the musician recalled.

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora (Getty)

Like all stars, they end up dating other stars. Jon had a passionate romance with actress Diane Lane, who was at the height of her career, starring in films directed by Francis Ford Coppola (The Outsiders , Cotton Club ). The musician was also riding the crest of the eighties wave. The relationship of this couple, which had a lot of chemistry, lasted only five months. She, who enjoyed losing control at parties, ended up in the arms of her bandmate, guitarist Richie Sambora , a fundamental piece of the band, with his long solos and arrangements.

Slippery When Wet – with 14 million copies it was one of the 100 best-selling albums in the world – and had several hit songs, such as Never say Goodbye , Wanted Dead or Alive , Livin’ On a Prayer and You give a love a bad name (”You give love a bad name”), the latter is believed to be dedicated to Diane Lane. After this resounding success worldwide, Jon felt the need to get back with Dorothea. “I fell in love with her the moment I saw her for the first time. I could never forget her,” said the rocker in an interview.

The wedding was a secret in Las Vegas. Even for her. He took her up on a helicopter and asked her to marry him. “Our last album had gone to number one. I was happy, so I looked at Dorothea and said ‘I have an idea, let’s get married now! ‘. She asked me if I was crazy, but I told her that this was the perfect time… So we ran to Nevada!”, he told Men’s Health magazine in 2010. And since then, they have been together. Jon Bon Jovi must be one of the few rockers with a stable love life. With her he had 4 children: Stephanie Rose (1993) Jesse James Louis (1995), Jacob Hurley (2002) and Romeo Jon (2004).

American singer, songwriter and guitarist Jon Bon Jovi and his girlfriend Dorothea in 1985 (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)

Before his first daughter was born, the artist suffered from acute depression. It was during a tour that had him playing for 16 months without a break. It was 1991 and the frenetic pace imposed by worldwide fame was a pressure he could not bear. The collapse was physical and mental. “My wife asked me to stop and I knew I had to. One day, on my way to see my psychiatrist, I thought about jumping out of the moving car,” he confessed to the Sunday Mail. It is not that he has been cured permanently, but he managed to overcome it and his family was later key to achieving balance. For Jon, Dorothea is his grounding wire.

The couple is highly regarded for their altruism. Just this year, Jon Bon Jovi was recognized as person of the year at the MusicCares gala, both for his contribution to music and his philanthropic work. At the event, he presented a new song, Legendary , and then performed on stage with another personality from New Jersey, his friend Bruce Springsteen.

Jon Bon Jovi and family at the 33rd Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Auditorium on April 14, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images For The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame)

Regarding his relationship with drugs, he said that he had tried them and soon knew what they were and knew that if he let them go he wouldn’t be able to handle them. So he decided to put them aside, revealed the singer, who, although he never made the media talk, doesn’t consider himself a saint either. He admitted to being one of those fathers who doesn’t attend birthdays or school events because of his career, his tours. But that doesn’t mean that he has always been and continues to be a family man.

The couple, who love their roots and feel satisfied by having built a family with values, help the community in different ways. Since 2006 they have had a restaurant called Soul Kitchen in Red Bank, New Jersey. It is not a luxury restaurant, nor is it served by professional waiters. The menu is presented without prices, only a suggested donation of 10 dollars per serving. And those who want to fill their stomach without having to pay can give back with voluntary work.

This action is one of many they carry out. They build homes for homeless people and also a center for teenage mothers and their children, among other things.

In 2020, he put his French-style mansion in New Jersey, located in Rumson, on the banks of the Navesink River, on the street of the same name, in the most exclusive part of Monmouth County, up for sale. The sale value was around $20 million . The property was built to his liking in 1999 and was the place where his children grew up. Now the silver-haired musician can be seen in Palm Beach, in the state of Florida, enjoying a much milder climate than the cruel winters of New Jersey. He first bought a house in Miami and at the end of 2020 he moved to an exclusive mansion in Palm Beach.