JON BON JOVI - BON JOVI'S CANCER TRIBUTE TO LATE DAD

JON BON JOVI has performed at a cancer charity fundraising gig in New York, as a tribute to his father who was killed by the disease last year (07). The singer was joined by Bon Jovi bandmate Richie Sambora at the Stand Up For The Cure event at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Wednesday (13Feb08), aimed specifically at benefitting those battling lung cancer. Speaking to reporters, Bon Jovi told of his own experiences with the illness: "My father was a huge smoker. He used to suck down Lucky Strike unfiltereds (cigarettes) for years. "He was a big greaser in the '50s. Watching him deteriorate was a horrible thing. When you get that call (that a loved one has cancer), you're baffled. You think, 'This can't be happening,' but if you walk into any room, nearly every person in there has been touched by cancer in some way."