The Troubled Life Of Jon Bon Jovi's Daughter Stephanie Rose

Jon Bon Jovi might be the frontman of the legendary rock outfit Bon Jovi, but he's also a devoted family man. The rocker married Dorothea Bongiovi, his high school sweetheart, in 1989. The two were in Los Angeles when Bon Jovi spontaneously decided to elope with Dorothea in nearby Las Vegas, and they've been together ever since. On May 31, 1993, Bon Jovi and Dorothea welcomed their first child together, a daughter named Stephanie Rose Bongiovi. The couple went on to have their sons Jesse Bongiovi in 1995, Jake Hurley Bongiovi in 2002, and their youngest, Romeo Jon Bongiovi, in 2004.

While Bon Jovi is close with all of his children, he has a special bond with his one and only daughter. When Stephanie was a young girl, he wrote a song just for her, called "I Got The Girl." At 7 years old, Stephanie joined her father onstage while he performed the track. Then, in 2017, she again took to the stage while her father performed the same song. The moment was especially touching the second time around, as Stephanie had gone through a life-threatening ordeal a few years before that rocked the whole Bongiovi family.

In November 2012, Jon Bon Jovi faced a parent's worst nightmare. Stephanie Rose Bongiovi was found unresponsive in her dorm room at Hamilton College and was rushed to the hospital. At the time, it was suspected that the then-19-year-old freshman had overdosed on heroin, and the authorities were called to search her room. They found the opioid, along with marijuana and various drug paraphernalia. After being revived, Stephanie was arrested and charged with several counts of drug possession, along with her friend, Ian Grant, who was at the scene.

The Oneida County District Attorney later dropped all charges against Stephanie and Grant due to a New York "Good Samaritan" law, which protects those who have overdosed and are seeking medical help from facing legal peril, according to NBC News. At the time, Bon Jovi remained silent on his daughter's harrowing ordeal, but he later opened up about what he said was his "worst moment."

Dealing with the aftermath of a drug overdose isn't easy for a public figure, but rock star Jon Bon Jovi remained supportive of his daughter Stephanie Rose Bongiovi following her potentially fatal experience. Referring to his career as a rock star as "glitzy and glamorous," he has also acknowledged the downsides to his life. "This tragedy was something that I had to face too so we'll get through it. And people's warm wishes for my family and I have been really reassuring. So, we're good, we're good," he explained during an interview with Los Angeles' Fox 11.

The following year, Bon Jovi opened up about the incident to the Mirror. He recalled being awakened in the middle of the night by Stephanie, who had called him from the hospital to tell him that she was okay, but had overdosed on heroin. "It was horrible, a horrible moment. It was my worst moment as a father," he shared. The "Livin' On A Prayer" singer was unaware of his daughter's drug use, but the frightening moment he faced as a parent led to others sharing similar stories. "We went through something that a lot of parents do, many more than I thought. Many more people who have been in my life that I had no idea they had been through it with their own children at one point or another," he mused. Thankfully, the family survived the nightmare intact, and Bon Jovi is just grateful to have his daughter healthy and happy.