Jon Bon Jovi’s Sweetest Love Story? His Real-Life Wife of 36 Years

Before he was one of the world’s most famous rock stars as lead singer of Bon Jovi, Jon Bon Jovi was winning the heart of his high school girlfriend and current wife, Dorothea Hurley. As far as rockstar couples go, the Bon Jovis have enjoyed a lengthy relationship and marriage, and the two are still as in love as when they first met.

How Jon Bon Jovi and Dorothea Hurley first met

Jon Bon Jovi alongside his wife, Dorothea, who wears a white blouse, circa 1990
Theo Wargo / Staff

Their relationship began in the hallways of Sayreville War Memorial High School in New Jersey, where both Bon Jovi and Hurley attended.

“She let me cheat off her in history,” Bon Jovi shared. “I was immediately drawn to her from the minute I saw her and that never changed.”

Their relationship evolved over the years and while the two briefly broke up in 1985—during which Bon Jovi had a short-lived relationship with actress Diane Lane— it wasn’t long before the pair reconciled, and the rest is history.

Their secret Las Vegas wedding—and the backlash that followed

Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea Hurley, (1994)
Mitchell Gerber / Contributor

Four years later, his band, Bon Jovi, had already taken off and was achieving massive success. Meanwhile, the singer was all in with his soon-to-be wife and ready to exchange vows, the couple tying the knot in a surprise Las Vegas wedding.

Bon Jovi explained that in 1989, the fact that they had the number one album and single in the country, inspired him. He said, “I got an idea, why don’t we go right now?” Hurley replied, “You’re out of your mind.” He responded, “Come on. What’s better than this, right now, this moment?”

Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Dorothea Hurley attend the 63rd Academy Awards (1991)
Vinnie Zuffante / Stringer

And so, they did. Bon Jovi and Hurley took off to Vegas and didn’t tell a soul about their plan. The couple married on April 29, 1989, at the Graceland Wedding Chapel and they’ve been together ever since.

“It shocked a lot of people — shocked about everybody: the band, management, agents, lawyers, parents, you name it,” Bon Jovi shared. “It’s a shame because it should have been a beautiful moment, but after we did it, people were trying to take it away. And 35 years later, we’re still married.”

Meet the Bon Jovi children: Stephanie, Jesse, Jake and Romeo

Jon Bon Jovi and family (2018)
Kevin Mazur / Contributor

A few years after they married, the Bon Jovis began to expand their family. On May 31, 1993, they welcomed their daughter, Stephanie Rose. Two years later, their son Jesse James Louis was born on February 19, 1995.

It wasn’t until seven years later that the couple welcomed their second son, Jacob “Jake” Hurley, on May 7, 2002. Finally, on March 29, 2004, Jon and Dorothea had their fourth and final child, son Romeo Jon.

The singer has opened up about being a father and the feeling he had after welcoming his children.

“If I could go back and re-live any moment in my life, the first thing that comes to mind is the birth of my kids,” Bon Jovi shared. “Because that was such a miracle. The birth of a human that you’ve helped create—that’s probably the biggest, most unbelievable thing that I could ever want. To touch the hand of God, that’s as close as you ever come to that.”

The secret to Jon and Dorothea’s 36-year marriage

Jon Bon Jovi and wife Dorothea Hurley (1996)
Dave Benett / Contributor

A 36-year-long marriage is a success in any sense, especially for a rockstar in the public eye, so how do Bon Jovi and his wife do it? The couple shared what their secret to success is.

“Mutual respect,” he said. “We’ve grown up together and grown together. And we really like each other. We want to hang out.” Dorothea added, “I always said I was good at spotting potential, too. I have a gift.”

But while respecting each other is important, there is a lot more that goes into maintaining a relationship, especially at a world-famous level.

“We work hard at it, but we enjoy each other, and we never fell for the trappings of what celebrities can do,” Bon Jovi explained. “We’ve witnessed that happen over the years to people that were close to us and people that we knew from afar. It’s just what I do, it’s not who I am. I write songs. I happen to be very good at performing them. That’s it.”