Carol Bongiovi, Jon Bon Jovi’s mother, passed away just days before her birthday. The singer referred to her as a “force to be reckoned with.”

Carol Bongiovi, Jon Bon Jovi’s mother, passed away three days before her 83rd birthday. After Carol’s passing on Tuesday at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, Jon, 62, shared heartfelt words about her.

“Our mother was a force to be reckoned with, her spirit and can-do attitude shaped this family,” Jon told PEOPLE. “She will be greatly missed.” Carol, who was once a Playboy bunny, founded the fan club for her son’s band. In 1959, she joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where she met John Bongiovi, Sr., her future husband.

They reared their children in Sayreville, New Jersey, before relocating to Holmdel, where Carol lived until she passed away. Carol’s funeral will be private and planned by Holmdel Funeral Home. She is survived by her 63-year-old husband and three children: Jon, Anthony, and Matthew.

Jon has previously stated that his parents provided “incredible support” as he pursued his early passion of becoming a musician. In November 2020, he told The Big Issue: “Even if you weren’t good at your craft, you could work on it if you thought you were.”

“As I became older, I realized what a wonderful gift my parents had given me. They sincerely felt that John F. Kennedy had instructed them to travel to the moon. ‘Of sure, you may travel to the moon. John, just leave. “I went there.” The musician described how his parents would take him to concerts when he was 17, allowing him to pursue his aspirations.”They were always supportive of me, which in retrospect, was incredible,” he told me. “Because I could get home at one or two in the morning and still have to be at school at eight o’clock.”

“They just said, show up on time for school, you know that is your responsibility, but pursue your dream.” Jon is married to Dorothea Hurley, his high school sweetheart. They have four children: Stephanie, 31, and three sons, Jesse, Jake, and Romeo. According to The Sun, Jake married Millie Bobby Brown, the actress from Stranger Things, in a modest, private ceremony in May 2024.

Jon and Millie’s parents attended the modest wedding. Jon previously stated his delight for the wedding to The Sun, adding, “My grandchildren will be more English than Italian or any of my other roots!” “That’s insane, right?” “Suddenly, your kids are married and discussing having grandchildren…wow!” “This is the longest chapter in my book.”