Jon Bon Jovi's mum Carol Bongiovi dies at age of 83 as music legend says his mother 'will be greatly missed'

Carol Bongiovi died yesterday (Tuesday July 9) at Monmouth Medical Centre, Long Branch, New Jersey at the age of 83.

Bon Jovi, aged 62, confirmed his mother's passing in a statement to American news publication People later the same day. He did not give her cause of death.

In his statement, he paid tribute to his late mother on behalf of his family. He said: “Our mother was a force to be reckoned with, her spirit and can-do attitude shaped this family. She will be greatly missed.”

Carol, who had been nicknamed Mum Jovi by some fans of the band, was set to celebrate her 84th birthday in three days. The family will carry out a private funeral service at Holmdel Funeral Home, Holmdel, New Jersey, People reported.

Carol Bongiovi was the proprietor of a number of businesses and also oversaw over her rocker son's fan club, according to the publication. She was born in 1940 and grew up in Erie, Pennsylvania. At the age of 18 or 19, Carol Sharkey, as she was then, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. This is how she met her futute husband, John Bongiovi Senior who was two years her senior.

The couple moved around different areas of New Jersey, but settled in Holmdel. Carol was also 'a former Playboy model,' according to a story from Asbury Park Press, and also once ran a flower shop in Woodbridge, New Jersey, with her husband.

Carol and John Bongiovi Senior married in 1961, three years after they met, which means they had been married for 63 years at the time of her death. They had three sons, Jon (real name John Francis), Anthony, now 57, and Matthew, now 50.

Carol encouraged Jon's path into music from an early age, according to Variety, as written in 2005 biographical book about the singer. It’s said that she bought him an acoustic guitar and encouraged him to learn how to play - and then, when he was in his teens, he developed a real passion for it.

The mum-of-three “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. ' In a November 2020 interview with The Big Issue Jon said that his parents empowered him and his siblings with “the ability to make the dream reality”.

But, he also added that they instilled the value of hard work: “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 realised that was a great gift that I got from my folks.”

Later in the same interview, Jon said his mum and dad “were always supportive” of his musical aspirations, and allowed him to perform in shows when he was aged 17, “which, in retrospect, was incredible.” He continued: “I could get home at one or two in the morning, and have to still be in school by (8am) . . . they just said ‘show up on time for school, you know that is your responsibility, but pursue your dream’.”

The singer showed his appreciation for his parents when he honoured them in the music video for the band's 2021 ballad ‘Story of Love’, as he performed the song in front of a black-and-white picture of his parents in their youth.

Jon last posted about his mother on his Instagram page on Mother’s Day, which was Sunday May 11 in the United States. Paying tribute to her, and also his own wife, he wrote: “To all the moms out there Thank you for always being there!” He also shared an image of him with his parents in the 1990s, and also a photo of him and his wife.

Carol is survived by her spouse John Bongiovi Sr, three sons and their wives, and eight grandchildren.