Jon Bon Jovi Says He’s Leaving His Vocal Cord Surgery Recovery ‘Up to God’

The singer-songwriter underwent throat surgery in 2022 to mend an atrophied vocal cord.

Jon Bon Jovi attends the U.K. premiere of the documentary "Thank You and Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story" on April 17, 2024 in London, England. Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Disney+

Nearly two years after undergoing throat surgery to mend an atrophied vocal cord, Jon Bon Jovi has revealed he is now leaning on his faith in the hopes of making a full recovery.

The “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer, who has been undergoing rehabilitation and regular vocal therapy to help strengthen his vocal cords following his operation, recently told Fox News that whether or not he gets his voice back is ultimately “up to God.”

“It sucks,” the 62-year-old candidly shared about his health struggles.

“But, if I put it into comparisons to athletes and when Kobe and the Achilles, or Michael Strahan and the pec, or Tom Brady with the knee, uh, Tiger Woods, you know, preparing for yet another Masters—it doesn’t get any easier for any of those guys. And I know their work ethic and mine are very similar. No one anticipates injury like that,” the Bon Jovi frontman explained.

“And it’s up to God to fix it or not,” he continued. “But I’m certainly right next to the Lord himself working on it.”

‘The Bon Jovi Story’

Since undergoing surgery in 2022, Mr. Bon Jovi—born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.—has had to take a break from performing—a turn of events that is chronicled in his forthcoming documentary, “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story,” set to premiere on April 26 on Hulu.

Ahead of the release of Bon Jovi’s 16th studio album, “Forever,” out June 7, the four-part docuseries commemorates the rock band’s 40th anniversary, taking viewers on “a 40-year odyssey of rock and roll idolatry on the precipice as a vocal injury threatens to bring everything to a screeching halt,” per a synopsis from the streaming platform.

The new docuseries, which began filming in February 2022, will also feature “40 years of personal videos, unreleased early demos, original lyrics, and never before seen photos” of the legendary rock band.

While speaking about the upcoming docuseries during a panel at the Television Critics Association’s winter press tour, held in February at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena, California, Mr. Bon Jovi opened up about his vocal cord surgery and ongoing recovery, per People.

“I pride myself on having been a true vocalist,” he remarked. “I’ve sung with Pavarotti. I know how to sing. I’ve studied the craft for 40 years. I’m not a stylist who just barks and howls. I know how to sing.

“So when God was taking away my ability, and I couldn’t understand why, I jokingly have said the only thing that’s ever been up my nose is my finger—you know, so there’s no reason for any of this,” he continued.

Singer-songwriter Jon Bon Jovi performs on stage during the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year gala at the LA Convention Center in Los Angeles, Feb. 2, 2024. Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images

During the panel, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer described his vocal cord injury in detail. “One of my vocal cords was literally atrophied,” he explained, per ABC News. “Your vocal cords are supposed to look parallel, or let’s pretend that they are as thick as a thumb—one of mine was as thick as a thumb and the other one was as thick as a pinky.

“So, the strong one was pushing the weak one aside, and I wasn’t singing well,” he shared, per People. “My craft was being taken from me.”

Vocal Cord Atrophy

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, vocal cord atrophy—better known as presbylaryngis or vocal fold atrophy—occurs with age and is commonly seen among people over the age of 60.

Similar to other muscles found in the body, vocal cord muscles and tissues can atrophy over time, resulting in a curved or thinned appearance. This can inhibit the vocal cords from closing properly, leading to an array of voice changes, such as a higher pitch, a decrease in volume, vocal fatigue, and overall trouble communicating.

The most common form of treatment for presbylaryngis is voice therapy, which is done with a speech-language pathologist. However, for more severe cases, surgical treatments, such as vocal cord augmentation, which involves injecting the vocal cords with fillers or fat to help straighten them out, and implants, are often used, per Atrium Health.

In Mr. Bon Jovi’s case, a “cutting-edge” implant was placed into his weakened vocal cord “to build the cord back up.” However, despite his successful surgery and subsequent vocal therapy, the singer-songwriter still isn’t sure if he will be able to perform live again.

“This is the first time I’m saying this,” he told The Sunday Times earlier this month. “If the singing is not great, if I can’t be the guy I once was … then I’m done.”

“I can tell you that 60 is different from 50 and my current concern is that I’m going to forget how to sing,” he continued. “I’ll be crushed if I can’t sing live again, but what does a quarterback do when faced with the last ball he’ll ever throw? That’s the situation I’m in.

“I want to look back on 40 years of Bon Jovi, look forward to the new album and appreciate everything,” he added. “That’s my hope: to find joy in it all.”

Jon Bon Jovi performs at DKMS' 4th Annual Gala in New York, April 29, 2010. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images