Carol Bongiovi, known as “Mom Jovi” to fans of Bon Jovi, passed away at the age of 83, just before her 84th birthday. She was the founder of the band’s fan club.
Her death occurred at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, though the cause was not disclosed.
“Our mother was a force to be reckoned with; her spirit and can-do attitude shaped this family,” Jon Bon Jovi said in a statement announcing the news. “She will be greatly missed.”
Carol Bongiovi, who passed away at 83, had a significant presence in both her family and the band Bon Jovi’s history. In Jon Bon Jovi’s 2021 music video “Story of Love,” she and her husband, John Bongiovi, Sr., made a poignant appearance through a large black-and-white portrait from their youth.
This tribute highlighted their enduring relationship of 63 years, while Jon also referenced his own long-standing marriage with his high school sweetheart, Dorothea Bongiovi.
“What I got from my parents was the ability to make the dream reality,” Bon Jovi told the Big Issue in 2020.
“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 realized that was a great gift that I got from my folks. 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.”
Carol Bongiovi was notable among Bon Jovi’s fans not only for her enthusiastic support of her son’s music but also for her unique background as a former Marine.
She and her husband, John Bongiovi, Sr., both served in the Marine Corps during the 1950s, where they met and married soon after.
This military connection added an interesting dimension to Jon Bon Jovi’s family history, setting them apart from many other rock and roll families in the music industry.
Carol Sharkey, born and raised in Erie, Pennsylvania, moved to Sayreville, New Jersey with her husband after their discharge from the Marines.
Their son Jon Bon Jovi was born in 1962 in Sayreville, NJ, marking the beginning of their family’s journey in the area where Jon would later rise to fame in the music industry.
