After decades of rocking audiences and using his platform to help others, Jon Bon Jovi is being recognized for his musical accomplishments and commendable philanthropic efforts.
The celebrated musician and founding member of the iconic rock band Bon Jovi will be honored as the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year.
The GRAMMY-winning artist has not only left an indelible mark on the world of music and pop culture, but has also helped to change lives. The singer founded the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation in 2006, which is dedicated to combating hunger, poverty and homelessness through affordable housing and job training efforts.
“I’m truly humbled to be this year’s MusiCares honoree,” Bon Jovi said in press statement released Thursday. “Philanthropic work has been a cornerstone of my life and has always run in tandem to my music career and achievements.”
“Nearly two decades ago when I formed the JBJ Soul Foundation and JBJ Soul Kitchens, I saw firsthand and continue to see today the impact of charitable community-based work,” he continued. “I know this for sure: helping one’s community is helping one’s self.”
The prestigious MusiCares Person of the Year tribute ceremony, held during GRAMMY week, will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 2, 2024 — two days before the 2024 GRAMMYS kick off at the Crypto.com Arena.
Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares, praised the singer for his contributions to music, as well as his “long-standing commitment to serving food-insecure and unhoused individuals.”
“We’re looking forward to celebrating him and the many ways he has made a difference in this world,” she added.
Bon Jovi is the 33rd recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year honoree, and proceeds from the event provide essential support for MusiCares’ own philanthropic efforts.
ET spoke with the rocker in March 2020, shortly after lockdown began as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the world, and he opened up about how his JBJ Soul Kitchen Community Restaurant in New Jersey was helping the community affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
“We have three soul kitchens currently, but the model is based on volunteers. We have a chef and we have a sous chef, but all the bussers and the dishwashers and the hostesses, and all of that is reliant on primarily volunteers,” he shared at the time. “We can’t allow any volunteers in and we can only do take out, and so I’ve been called upon once again to be the dishwasher.”
“We’re still serving those in need and we’re providing meals for senior buildings or YMCAs where kids are going for their meals,” he explained. While restaurants, stores and buildings may be closed during the pandemic and people are staying indoors, Bon Jovi applauds those who are giving back to the community.
“The applause goes to all those people who are working in food banks, food pantries across the country right now to make sure that our in need are finding at least one meal if not more,” he stated. “But the soul kitchen is one of the many thousands of providers across the country.”
RELATED CONTENT: