Jon Bon Jovi will never sing live again if his voice does not fully recover following throat surgery.
His band's Disney+ documentary series, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, goes behind the scenes of their history as well as the singer's recent operation on an atrophied vocal cord and ongoing rehabilitation.
The 62-year-old rocker had previously indicated he was rehabbing with a view to touring next year, but in an interview with British newspaper The Sunday Times he revealed he will retire as a live performer if he feels his singing does not get back up to scratch.
"This is the first time I'm saying this," Jon said. "If the singing is not great, if I can't be the guy I once was...then I'm done."
The Livin' on a Prayer hitmaker is already singing again in vocal therapy and recorded a new album with his group, but indicated that singing live is a different matter altogether.
"There is a big difference between being in a studio and going out on the road," he explains. "We have just recorded a new album. I sing in vocal therapy every day.
"But I want to perform for two and a half hours a night, four nights a week - and I know how good I can be, so if I can't be that guy...put it this way, I don't ever need to be the fat Elvis."
The star also confessed that he feels nearer retirement than he'd like, adding: "I'll be crushed if I can't sing live again, but what does a quarterback do when faced with the last ball he'll ever throw? That's the situation I'm in. I want to look back on 40 years of Bon Jovi, look forward to the new album and appreciate everything. That's my hope: to find joy in it all."
