As one of the founding members of the rock group Bon Jovi, Sambora has earned a position in American rock royalty. However, it is his controversial love life that has brought him to the public eye in recent years. After his 11-year marriage to Heather Locklear ended in April 2007 – a union that resulted in the birth of the couple’s daughter, Ava Elizabeth, born in October 1997 - Sambora's subsequent divorce proceedings erupted in controversy when photos of the rocker and his new flame, former Locklear pal Denise Richards hit newsstands in April 2006.

The photos fueled speculation that Richards was the reason for the split, although Locklear filed for divorce in February of the same year. Sambora and Richards’ romance lasted less than a year. In March 2008, the bad-boy rocker was arrested for DUI, less than one year after entering a rehabilitation facility to seek treatment reportedly for alcoholism.