Jon Bon Jovi Reveals the Surprising Way How 'Spirit Sister' Shania Twain Helped Him Through Vocal Surgery (Exclusive)
The Bon Jovi rocker underwent vocal cord surgery in the summer of 2022, he reveals in his new Hulu docuseries, ‘Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,’ streaming now
When Jon Bon Jovi was struggling with vocal cord issues, he turned to a famous friend for advice: Shania Twain.
“She’s been my spirit sister in this,” Bon Jovi, 62, tells PEOPLE exclusively of the “Any Man of Mine” singer, 58, whom he reveals had the “same doctor” and “same surgery” a few years before his own.
In his new Hulu docuseries, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, the legendary rocker says he began experiencing issues with his vocal cords around 2015. But he didn’t finally address them until he had a “devastating” conversation with his wife Dorothea while on tour in 2022, and he realized he had two options: seek medical help or retire.
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Jon Bon Jovi and Shania Twain in Los Angeles in February 2024Bon Jovi turned to Twain — who had a vocal fold medialization procedure in 2018 — because “she's the only other one I've known that's ever had this surgery, with this doctor, and the only reason I found that out is because she reported it in the press,” he says of finding out they had the same doctor, Robert Sataloff.
Adds Bon Jovi: “Not only did she reassure me that it would be OK, but I think she also pulled my leg a little bit because she told me I'd be out there a lot sooner than I have been. She says, ‘Well, I told you that because I knew that you might back out otherwise.' And so, I couldn't wait to get the operation.”
Bon Jovi had the surgery — which alleviated the loose vocal cords that were stealing his voice — in June of 2022. And this past February, he and Twain celebrated his post-op progress at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala, where Bon Jovi was the 2024 honoree (and Twain sang a cover of the Bon Jovi hit "Bed of Roses").
Now almost two years after he underwent the procedure, Bon Jovi works with vocal coaches and does daily voice exercises: “Every day is the recovery process,” he says.
The band will drop its 16th album, Forever, on June 7. Recorded after the surgery, Bon Jovi’s vocals may sound smokier and huskier but are no doubt his. However, his future as a live performer remains up in the air.
“I’m capable of singing. What I’m not necessarily capable of is two and a half hours a night, four nights a week,” Bon Jovi says, “but I’m aspiring to get that back.”
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