Rock
Jon Bon Jovi says he's 'fully recovered' after vocal cord surgery and ready for a 'rebirth' on tour
Jon Bon Jovi has confirmed he has fully recovered from major vocal cord surgery and says returning to the stage now feels like “a rebirth".
Jon Bon Jovi has revealed he is “fully recovered” from the vocal cord surgery that sidelined him in recent years, describing his return to performing as nothing short of “a rebirth".
The 64-year-old rock icon opened up about the long road back in a new PEOPLE cover interview, explaining that he was stunned when doctors first told him one of his vocal cords had begun to atrophy.
The Livin' on a Prayer hitmaker, who will return to the stage for the band's Forever tour this July, said he had always taken care of his voice and was left confused by the diagnosis.
He said: “I’d often joked and said the only thing that’s ever been up my nose was my finger. I never did anything to hurt the cords; I didn’t have any excesses. I’m a trained vocalist. I’ve practiced the craft.
“So when a doctor had to explain to me that one of the cords was literally atrophying, it was confusing.” “I’m fully recovered. “It was longer than I’d ever expected, but it had to be right. We never lost faith.”
Bon Jovi praised the group for refusing to consider replacing him or stepping back while he healed, saying their loyalty deepened his appreciation for them.
He said: “They never doubted [me] and never looked for work or decided to retire. The sacrifices that each one of them have made to be there for me is on a whole ’nother level.
“They said, ‘No, we’re with you.’ Every day of every rehearsal they were there with me. My love for them has only deepened.”
Looking ahead to touring again, the Livin’ on a Prayer hitmaker said the experience has given him a renewed sense of purpose. Calling this next chapter “a rebirth".
Bon Jovi added that performing now is “simply about the joy".
The Have A Nice Day singer previously compared recovering from his vocal cord injury to training for a marathon - admitting he feared he would never be able to perform again before he underwent surgery in 2022.
During an interview on the Today show, Bon Jovi explained: "One of my cords was atrophied, and the strong one was pushing the weak one around, and this one was dying. The road's been long and tough, but I persevered."
Bon Jovi's Forever tour begins July 7 at Madison Square Garden.
