Carol Bongiovi, mother of Jon Bon Jovi, dies at 83: 'A force to be reckoned with'

She was also the founder of the Bon Jovi fan club, as well as a former Playboy bunny, U.S. Marine, and entrepreneur.

Carol Bongiovi, the mother of legendary rocker Jon Bon Jovi, died Tuesday at the Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, N.J., three days before her 84th birthday.

A representative for Bon Jovi confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly and provided a statement from the musician on behalf of the family that said, "Our mother was a force to be reckoned with. Her spirit and can-do attitude shaped this family. She will be greatly missed."

A cause of death was not disclosed.

In addition to being Bon Jovi's mom, the woman born Carol Starkey was the founder of her son's eponymous band's fan club, as well as a former Playboy bunny, U.S. Marine, and entrepreneur.

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Born and raised in Erie, Pa., she enlisted in the Marine Corps at 19. During her duty, she met her husband, John Bongiovi, Sr., and the couple later settled down in Sayreville, N.J., where they raised three sons.

Their romance takes center stage in the music video for the 2020 Bon Jovi song "Story of Love," which features the frontman performing the track in front of a wall covered in family heirlooms and photographs of the couple taken in their youth. Bon Jovi shared a snippet of the video Wednesday on Instagram and wrote, "Momma, we carry you with us always."

Carol Bongiovi was always an avid supporter of her son's dream to be a musician. She gave him his first acoustic guitar when he was 7, according to Laura Jackson's 2004 biography of the artist. A true entrepreneur, Bongiovi also operated the official Bon Jovi fan club out of her Woodbridge, N.J., flower shop and would often phone local newspapers to tell them about her son's musical talents.

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She was also "one of the original [Playboy] bunnies," Bon Jovi recalled during a 2006 interview with Larry King. "I did go there as a kid," he said of the nightclub. "Oh God, did I have the stories and the pictures. They had their little outfit and my dad was like this hip cat because he was married to a Playboy bunny."

Bongiovi is survived by her husband of 63 years, their three sons, three daughters-in-law, and eight grandchildren.

Funeral services will be private, but those seeking to leave condolences may leave a message on her Holmdel Funeral Home tribute page.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.