Jon Bon Jovi posted a moving tribute to his late mother Carol Bongiovi on Wednesday, a day after she passed away at the age of 83.
The 62-year-old Livin’ on a Prayer hitmaker shared a clip from his band Bon Jovi’s ‘Story of Love’ music video, which features personal clips from his home.
“Mama. We carry you with us. Always,” he captioned the heartfelt post, along with two red heart emojis.
The music video for the ballad features the rock icon playing guitar and singing in front of a wall of family photos.
Story of Love contains lyrics about the enduring power of love throughout life, especially within families.
Jon Bon Jovi, 62, posted a touching tribute to his late mother Carol Bongiovi on Wednesday, a day after her death
He shared a clip from his band Bon Jovi’s ‘Story of Love’ video clip, featuring personal home clips. ‘Mom. We carry you with us. Always,’ he wrote in the caption
Carol died Tuesday at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey at the age of 83; the mother-son duo pictured in 1990
The song, taken from the band’s 2020 album, also acknowledges the inevitable loss that comes with time.
The song opens with the moving lyrics: “Fathers love their daughters like mothers love their sons / They wrote our story before there was one / From the day you arrive, until you can walk, until you run / There’s nothing but pride, there’s nothing but love.”
‘Wherever you go or wherever you’ve been/ They’re with you, and you’re with them/ Fathers and daughters and mothers and sons/ When one story ends, another begins.’
The song ends with the tender line: ‘From hello to goodbye, that’s the story of love.’
Carol died Tuesday at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey.
Bon Jovi confirmed his mother’s death in a statement to People on Tuesday; her cause of death was not immediately released.
“Our mother was a force to be reckoned with, her spirit and determination shaped this family,” the rock star told the outlet in a statement. “She will be deeply missed.”
Carol, who was called Mom Jovi by some fans of the band, was due to celebrate her 84th birthday in three days, the outlet reported.
In the music video for the ballad, the rock icon is seen playing guitar and singing in front of a wall decorated with family photos
Story of Love contains lyrics about the enduring power of love throughout life, especially within families
The song, from the band’s 2020 album, also acknowledges the inevitable loss that comes with time
Bon Jovi confirmed his mother’s death in a statement to People on Tuesday; her cause of death was not immediately released; Seen in 1990
“Our mother was a force to be reckoned with, her spirit and her can-do attitude shaped this family,” the rock star told the outlet in a statement. “She will be greatly missed”; Bon Jovi pictured with his wife Dorothea and Carol
The family will hold a private funeral service at Holmdel Funeral Home, People reports.
According to the publication, Carol owned a number of businesses and was also the president of her son’s fan club.
Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, Carol enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1959. She met her husband-to-be, John Bongiovi, Sr.—to whom she would be married for 63 years—while serving.
The couple then moved to Sayreville, New Jersey.
They eventually ended up in Holmdel, New Jersey, the outlet reported.
Carol was also “a former Playboy model,” according to a 2021 story from Asbury Park Pressand for a time ran a flower shop with her husband in Woodbridge, New Jersey.
A 2005 biographical book about the singer by author Laura Jackson, titled Jon Bon Jovi, revealed that Carol had encouraged Jon to pursue music from an early age, according to Variety.
She bought him an acoustic guitar and encouraged him to learn to play, which he began seriously in his teens, according to the memoir.
According to the book, “the musical matriarch stood with her eldest son in front of a large mirror, where they had fun together as they watched themselves sing songs.”
The I’ll Be There for You artist said in November 2020 that his parents gave him and his siblings the strength “to make their dream come true.”
“Even if you’re really not good at your job, you can work on it if you believe you are,” he said The big problem.
Carol owned a number of businesses and was also president of her son’s fan club; the duo were seen in 2008
He added: ‘As I got older, I realised this was a wonderful gift that I had received from my parents.’
The Keep the Faith singer continued, “They really believed in the John Kennedy mantra of going to the moon. ‘Yeah, sure you can go to the moon. Just go, Johnny.’ And off I went.”
In the piece, Bon Jovi said his mother and father “were always supportive” of his musical ambitions and were okay with him performing in shows at age 17, “which in retrospect was incredible.”
Bon Jovi said, ‘I could come home at one or two in the morning and still have to be at school. [8 a.m.] …they just said, ‘Get to school on time, you know that’s your responsibility, but pursue your dream.’
Carol is survived by her husband 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.