LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: There was a time Jon Bon Jovi struggled through hardship, but his steadfast faith and support system guided him to a better place. Today, the ‘Runaway’ hitmaker, 61, is hailed as one of the most famous rock stars in the world but his "working-class" upbringing still keeps him "down-to-earth."
Born John Francis Bongiovi, the Grammy-winning singer shot to fame in the '80s when he formed his singing group, Bon Jovi, with other members Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torress. It didn't take long for Jovi to become a singing sensation with hits including 'Livin' on a Prayer' and 'Never Say Goodbye'. Since then, he has been living the life, but sources claimed that he was "nothing flashy" in person. "He credits his working-class Jersey upbringing for keeping him down-to-earth,” an insider said, according to OK! Magazine.
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'I’m not a saint, and I have not been a saint'
"Family means more to him than anything else," the tipster dished further. Although people close to Jovi reportedly believe that he has kept a realistic view of himself despite decades of popularity, he previously revealed that he lived the rockstar lifestyle in the past. "I’m not a saint, and I have not been a saint. I did the drug thing very young and wised up very young too because I was into drugs a little too much,” he told an outlet, according to Geo TV. However, insiders claimed that Jovi’s high school sweetheart, Dorothea, was the one who set him on the right path.
"They’ve been together since they were teenagers," sources shared, adding that ever since then "there’s been no one else for him."
Earlier, Jovi himself confirmed Dorothea's positive effect on his life and admitted that he never considered trading up or down when he saw "this week's hot starlet.” He and Dorothea exchanged vows in 1989, nine years after they met at Sayreville War Memorial High School, New Jersey. Their Las Vegas wedding was an on-the-spot decision without anyone knowing.
'Didn't tell a soul'
"We had the No 1 album, the No 1 single, and we were playing three nights at the Forum in LA," he told Men's Health in 2010, adding, "I turned to Dorothea and said, 'I got an idea. Why don't we go right now?' She said, 'You're out of your mind.' I said, 'Come on. What's better than this, right now, this moment?' And so we ran off to Las Vegas. Didn't tell a soul." The singer is undoubtedly a devoted family man but when he isn't focussing on his loved ones, he works on his music to advance his bustling career.
Over the course of his career, Jovi has sold over 130 million CDs and performed at more than 2,700 performances across the world. He was honored for his work in 2018 when radio host Howard Stern inducted him into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. At that time, Stern lauded the singer for not having a "stupid rock and roll attitude," instead describing him as "humble and gracious." "It was one of Jon’s highest points. Something he’ll never forget," an insider told OK! Magazine.
