Diane Lane has spent her entire life immersed in the entertainment industry, crediting her vulnerability as an essential quality to her Hollywood success. She secured her first major film role at 14, and by the time she turned 20, she crossed paths with the budding rock music icon Jon Bon Jovi. During their relationship, Lane was already a prominent actress, while Bon Jovi was just starting their ascent to stardom.
The pair began dating around 1985 — Bon Jovi’s debut album had been released the previous year and Lane was perhaps best known for her role in The Outsiders. While the exact circumstances of Bon Jovi and Lane’s introduction are unclear, we can deduce that the two young, hot, famous people shared some mutual friends and VIP invitations.
Lane has been complimentary whenever her relationship with Bon Jovi is broached in interviews. In 2017 the actress told Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen that she and the rocker dated for “five months, I was 20,” noting that “every girl should have such a wonderful experience when she’s that young.”
Recalling the brief period, Lane said, “I have some photos of him packing for the tour … Just all the jockstraps were lined up on the floor for the whole band to get through the whole tour. An ocean of jockstraps.” That is some vivid imagery.
In 1989, Bon Jovi told Rolling Stone that his short time with Lane and the reunion with his high school sweetheart Dorothea Hurley “say everything about my career with this band.”
“It took us some time to find ourselves, in our personal lives as well as our career,” he explained. “So I did that. I went out and had a … whatever you want to call it. I went out with a girl for ten months, a year maybe.” It’s unclear whether Bon Jovi is referring to Lane, considering she’s said they were together for five months on multiple occasions. “You come to terms with who you are and what you’re about. That lifestyle is not for me,” he continued.