John Francis Bongiovi Jr. was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a son of two former Marines, barber John Francis Bongiovi Sr. and Playboy Bunny turned florist Carol (Sharkey). He has two brothers, Anthony and Matthew. His father was of Italian (the name Bongiovi comes from Sciacca, Sicily) and Slovak ancestry and his mother is of German and Russian descent. While he had been previously rumored to be a blood relative of singer Frank Sinatra,SPIN Magazine, May 1998, p. 22. in a 2016 interview, he stated that this was false. Bon Jovi was raised Catholic. He spent summers in Erie, Pennsylvania, with his grandparents, and sold newspapers.As he said when he came to a sold-out (over 15,000) Veterans Stadium in 1988 As a child, John attended St. Joseph High School in Metuchen, New Jersey, during his freshman and sophomore years.Jon Bon Jovi remarks American Music Awards, November 14, 2004. "In the fall of 1977, I was just another sophomore at St. Joseph's High School in New Jersey." He later transferred to Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, New Jersey.Bon Jovi pays surprise visit to his old school Sentinel, March 23, 2006. "Students chat with Sayreville class of '80 grad-turned-rock-star."
