One of the most successful American rock bands
in history, Bon Jovi is a household name around the globe. But the members of the group have suffered
their fair share of setbacks. Here are some of the darker and more challenging
moments in the lives of the famous bandmates. According to Rolling Stone, when Bon Jovi
taped its 2007 episode of Unplugged, there were rumors flying around the set that guitarist
Richie Sambora was too drunk to play. His team denied that there were any problems. Nevertheless, a few days after the June 5th
session, a band representative told Us Weekly that Sambora had checked into a Los Angeles
drug treatment facility to address his issues with alcohol. A source also told Us Weekly that Sambora
was "going through a hard time" following a rapid chain of stressful events that included
the death of his father, the finalization of his divorce from Heather Locklear, and
relationship problems with girlfriend Denise Richards. A few months later, Sambora spent an additional
week in rehab at Utah's Cirque Lodge facility. Addiction recovery is a journey, and sometimes
that road is rocky. In March 2008, while driving in California,
Sambora was pulled over for weaving across lanes. After failing field sobriety tests, he was
arrested, booked, and released about five hours later. The guitarist faced as many as six months
in prison. He ultimately pleaded no contest to a charge
of drunk driving and received probation, charged fines, and ordered to take an alcohol education
class. In 2011, Sambora decided to admit himself
to a drug treatment center once again to seek help. Sambora explained to Extra that his 14 year-old
daughter motivated him to stop drinking when she told him to clean up his act. "We were going through that as a family together,
you know what I mean? Her saying that to me was kinda like 'Okay,
that's it. That's it, man.'" While Bon Jovi was on a hiatus in the early
'90s and before recording its fifth studio album Keep the Faith, the band's members pursued
various projects. Jon Bon Jovi recorded his solo debut Blaze
of Glory, and Richie Sambora made his record, Stranger in This Town. Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan played all
over Sambora's album, while also recording the score for the movie Netherworld. Unfortunately, he also spent a large portion
of his Bon Jovi hiatus recovering from parasites he believes he acquired when the band toured
through South America. These dangerous little creatures absolutely
ravaged Bryan's body. He lost 40 pounds and could have died. Bryan told Keyboard magazine in 1993… "They ate out my intestines and my stomach
and put me out of commission for about six months." Bryan went on to make a full recovery and,
to this day, he continues to enjoy a very long, successful career with Bon Jovi. In 1989, Jon Bon Jovi married Dorothea Hurley,
his longtime love who he met in high school. They've raised four kids together, starting
off with eldest daughter Stephanie. Sadly, the family has had some ups and downs. In November 2012, police and paramedics were
summoned to a dormitory at Hamilton College in upstate New York in response to a call
that Stephanie was unresponsive, possibly due to a drug overdose. It was a traumatic moment for the family but,
luckily, she was treated and quickly released from a local hospital. In an interview with Katie Couric, Bon Jovi
said... "That problem is much more prevalent than
[...] I knew. [...] It happens to all kinds of families
all over." He added that Stephanie was doing great and
gave a positive update on the situation. "You know, I'm just blessed that she's healthy
and whole. And we're getting through it. We've gotten through it." Despite being the drummer in an incredibly
successful band for nearly 40 years, Tico Torres has kept his personal life relatively
quiet. It wasn't until 2009, with the Bon Jovi documentary
When We Were Beautiful, that he opened up about his struggles with addiction. He explained in the documentary… "I was killing myself with drinking years
ago. I was the kind of person who wouldn't drink
for months and then just load off two bottles." His bandmate, Jon Bon Jovi, confirmed it. "He had a lot of demons. He was a really bad drunk [...] He'd get in
a lot of trouble with a lot of people." As of the making of that documentary, Torres
considered himself a sober, recovering alcoholic. After 30 years with the band, guitarist Richie
Sambora abruptly quit Bon Jovi in 2013. Sambora said that there was no bad blood between
him and his bandmates and he made the decision quickly between legs of a tour. He elaborated on The Today Show Australia… "I just started spending time with my kid,
between legs, and my spirit wouldn't pull myself out the door. I just needed to be home." Sambora's sudden departure blindsided the
other members of the band. According to The Mirror, Jon Bon Jovi said... "Everything was great, and we were just coming
off a break, but he never came to work again. [...] It was a shock." A couple of years after the split with Sambora,
Bon Jovi released Burning Bridges, the band's final album on Mercury Records. That title was a not-so-thinly veiled announcement
that Bon Jovi was frustrated and ready to break free from Mercury. Losing Sambora and leaving his record label
left Jon Bon Jovi in a very low place that lasted for years. He told The Mirror… "There was a lot of darkness really. [...] I was going through a difficult period
and it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders." Bon Jovi worked hard to make it big, and the
band finally did when back-to-back singles "You Give Love a Bad Name" and "Livin' on
a Prayer" from the 1986 album Slippery When Wet topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The support tour for the album took up most
of 1986 and 1987. Then, they had to head back into the studio
to record the 1988 album New Jersey. Achieving and maintaining that kind of success
- and fulfilling all the duties it requires - can leave a person physically, mentally,
and emotionally drained. According to The Mirror, that's how Jon Bon
Jovi was feeling in the early '90s when he suffered a "breakdown." In fact, those feelings were so awful and
strong that he almost made a devastating decision. While on his way to see a psychologist, Bon
Jovi was driving along the Pacific Coast Highway in California, and he considered jumping out
of the moving car and ending it all. Fortunately for everyone, that didn't happen,
and he went on to create decades of great music, be inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame - and consistently inspire his fans all around the world. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal
thoughts, please call or chat online with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
1-800-273-TALK (8255).
