Rock legend Jon Bon Jovi returned triumphantly to his New Jersey high school this week.
The Bon Jovi frontman visited Sayreville War Memorial High School in Parlin, where the school’s performing arts center was renamed in his honor.
The 62-year-old musician, who has always proudly celebrated his upbringing in New Jersey, spent his junior and senior years at the school before becoming one of the biggest rockstars in the world in the 1980s.
On Tuesday, Bon Jovi visited the newly named Jon Bon Jovi Performing Arts Center, where he was warmly welcomed by students, faculty, and old friends.
‘So humbled that Sayreville High named their performing arts center yesterday,’ Bon Jovi shared on Instagram the next day, along with a series of event photos.
He praised the students who created a mural of him, which now decorates the school’s music suite, and expressed gratitude to the faculty who helped organize the entirety of the event honoring him.
The rocker posed for pictures with students in front of the mural. One standout moment of the visit was a reunion with his former coach, Coach T, whom Bon Jovi immortalized in his 2000 hit song Just Older.
In his Instagram caption, the singer reflected on the reunion, writing: ‘Coach T from our song Just Older!!! It was great to see him and the future of Sayreville … Once a Bomber always a Bomber.’
Bon Jovi’s visit marked his induction into the highschool’s hall of fame, an occasion he marked by donating a recording studio to the school.
Sayreville War Memorial High School shared their gratitude for the rock star’s generosity on social media, writing: ‘We are so grateful for his donations and the students and staff will remember this day forever.’
During his talk with students, Bon Jovi siad: ‘You are writing the story of your life. You sit here today as the future of Sayreville’s dreamers, participating in theater, music, voice, and as recording engineers.
‘Now, some of you may choose to continue on this path after graduation. Others may consider this a stepping stone. Whatever you choose to do after you leave here, remember that every day is another opportunity to make a memory.’
Bon Jovi’s visit to Sayreville War Memorial High School is significant not only because it is the place where he laid the foundation for his music career but also where he met his future wife, Dorothea Hurley.
The high school sweethearts waited nearly a decade before tying the knot, eloping in Las Vegas in 1989 at the height of Bon Jovi’s fame.
The couple, who have now been married for over 35 years, have four children together: Stephanie, 31; Jesse, 29; Romeo, 20; and Jake, 22, who recently made headlines for his marriage to Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown.
As the frontman of Bon Jovi, the band has released 16 studio albums over a four-decade-long career, with hits like You Give Love a Bad Name, It’s My Life, and Blaze of Glory making them one of the biggest rock bands of all time.