Jon Bon Jovi nearly quit music after sustaining a devastating vocal cord injury.
The legendary rocker admitted he was close to walking away for good before his vocal cord surgery helped save his career.
Bon Jovi realized something “wasn’t working” after a 15-show tour, he said during an appearance on the podcast “How to Fail with Elizabeth Day.” At the end of the final show, he told his wife he thought it was “pretty good,” but his wife disagreed.
At that point, Bon Jovi said, “I don’t think I could do this anymore. I don’t know why, but I’m okay with walking away from this because there’s no way I’m dragging down the legacy.”
“I sought out a surgeon who explained to me that one of my vocal cords had literally atrophied,” Bon Jovi said. “It was dying.”
Bon Jovi explained the surgeon gave him an implant that worked to close his vocal cords properly so that he could sing again.
“If I worked hard, he promised me nothing other than I would be better than I was that night in Nashville,” he said, referring to the night he realized something was wrong.
“Had I known that it was gonna be a three-and a-half-year recovery, I very well might have said thank you, good night,” the “It’s My Life” singer noted. “But the process and the progress was steady enough that I didn’t lose faith.”
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The rock star said he feels “close enough to fully recovered” to perform shows, which is why he chose to announce his “Forever Tour.” Bon Jovi will set out on a 10-show tour for the first time since 2022.
“I’m not doing this for the applause. I’m not doing it for the money. I’m not doing it the fame,” Bon Jovi said. “I’ve had enough of all of it.
“But I would like to feel that joy and the resonance, even if it were only one last time. I don’t think this is anywhere near a farewell tour or anything like that. But if it were, you could trust that these few shows that I’ve announced are gonna be joy-filled.”
WATCH: JON BON JOVI SAID ‘IT’S UP TO GOD’ TO REPAIR HIS VOCAL CORDS FOLLOWING SURGERY
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Bon Jovi released “Forever (Legendary Edition)” on Oct. 24, a collaboration album with Bruce Springsteen, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Avril Lavigne and more.
The “Forever Tour” will kick off on July 7, 2026, at Madison Square Garden and end Sept. 4, 2026, at London’s Wembley Stadium.
