When Exclaim! recently sat down with Jon Bon Jovi to talk about the docuseries Thank You, Goodnight, he was quite adamant that recovering from undergoing surgery in 2022 for his vocal cord issues wasn't any indication of Bon Jovi heading into retirement. (Although he also recently said that whether he ever tours again is "up to God.")
But while struggling with his infamous vocal cord health issues and debating doing the procedure, the frontman turned to a famous friend for advice: Shania Twain. The country star underwent vocal cord medialization back in 2018, making her Bon Jovi's "spirit sister" — he told People that she had the "same doctor" and "same surgery" as he did.
"She's the only other one I've known that's ever had this surgery, with this doctor, and the only reason I found that out is because she reported it in the press," Bon Jovi said of discovering that they were both patients of Dr. Robert Sataloff.
"Not only did she reassure me that it would be okay, but I think she also pulled my leg a little bit because she told me I'd be out there a lot sooner than I have been," he continued, knowing that he had to have the surgery or face retirement. "She says, 'Well, I told you that because I knew that you might back out otherwise.' And so, I couldn't wait to get the operation."
Twain is obviously an affirming success story for Bon Jovi to look to, having had her career sidelined by Lyme disease, in that she said her voice was "never the same again" afterward. Following recovering from her own procedure, she made a massive comeback with last year's Queen of Me, which she's followed with extensive touring and even an upcoming Vegas residency.
While Bon Jovi's return to the stage remains up in the air, his namesake band are releasing their 16th album, Legendary, on June 7.
