Richie Sambora belted out Bon Jovi’s 1986 hit “Livin’ on a Prayer” at his daughter’s wedding, more than a decade after abruptly leaving the band.
The musician recently posted a video on Instagram of himself serenading guests at Eva Locklear and Tyler Ferrer’s May reception.
In the uploaded video, the newlyweds can be seen holding hands and jumping up and down while singing along to the track.
The bride’s wedding planner shared further footage of the moment on social media platforms last week, writing that the song “looks different when dad sings it.”
Locklear commented, “That’s right!”
Notably, her 66-year-old father was the lead guitarist for the Grammy Award-winning band from 1983 until April 2013.
The rock icon left midway through a world tour along with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, pianist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres to focus on raising Eva after splitting from her mother, Heather Locklear.
Sambora addressed his sudden departure in the 2024 documentary Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.
“I don’t regret leaving this situation, but I regret the way I acted. So now I want to apologize fully to the fans, especially the fans, and to the players, because my legs and my spirit couldn’t get out the door,” he said.
Sambora elaborated on her decision to leave home, saying it was due to a “confluence of issues” including “deep family issues”.
“I spent so much time traveling,” he continued, “and unfortunately, at the time, my ex-wife was having mental health issues and our daughter was reaching an age where she understood.”
Sambora added that Eva, now 28, “needed” him.
“Honestly, I needed her,” he clarified. “We didn’t have enough time.”
During a Q&A that year, Bon Jovi, 64, revealed that “there was never a fight” that led to the breakup of longtime friends.
The songwriter explained that in addition to Sambora being a single father, “substance abuse” and “anxiety” were involved.
“There were a lot of personal issues that he was going through. But to this day, me and him and David and Tico have never fought,” he claimed.
Bon Jovi added that Sambora chose to stay home instead of going out because he had “some issues that were bothering him.”
The artist denied any “hostility” and said, “An integral part of my story in three of the four chapters was my right-hand man, who asked me to join my band, and I was lucky to meet him. But life went on.”
Last year, Bon Jovi further reflected on the “heartbreak” they felt after Sambora left the group.
“My heartbreak for him was compounded by the fact that he walked away from us and it took years for him to come back into the room and say, ‘I’m sorry,’ just to have dinner with Tico, David, and me,” he said on the Dumb Blonde podcast in September 2025.
He added, “The great thing I’ve said about him all my life is that I’m lucky to call him a friend. He’s so much more talented as a guitarist, as a singer, as a collaborator. Great right-hand man, amazing. I couldn’t ask for more.”
The band released 12 studio albums together before Sambora’s departure.
Since 2013, Bon Jovi has released three more songs, not counting Sambora, who replaced guitarist Phil X.
