The iconic guitarist is proud of his daughter’s hard work as she explores a career in psychology


Richie Sambora/instagram Richie Sambora and daughter Ava© Provided by People

Richie Sambora is one proud dad.

The Bon Jovi guitarist — who recently lent his talents to Dolly Parton, recording the guitar part on her new single “Rock Star,” which debuted earlier this month — is enjoying the close bond he has with daughter Ava, 26, whom he shares with his ex-wife, legendary TV actress Heather Locklear.

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“Ava is killing it. She’s basically practicing psychology,” the rocker dad, 64, tells PEOPLE, sharing she recently got her master’s degree and is “getting ready to go for a doctorate.”

“She’s doing a little prerequisite work at gathering that, but she came right out of school and…. I mean, I’m really proud of her. She’s doing really, really well.”

Sambora was so happy about Ava’s latest achievement that he even surprised her with a retriever puppy, applauding her for her dedication, something she shares in common with her record-breaking rockstar dad.


John Shearer/Getty Richie Sambora and daughter Ava in 2011© Provided by People

“She lived through many records with me. In this house, she’s seen it all and been through it all, seen me work,” he says.

He recalled a time when he was away touring with Bon Jovi in Australia, during which a younger Ava had a father-daughter dance at school.

“Once I got to a place, every time I could come home I really did. I had a reservoir of money that I would just be able to hop on a private plane and take the day to spend with my daughter, and then hop back on it and go to the gig. And I did that a lot,” he shares.


Matt Baron/BEI/REX/Shutterstock Richie Sambora and daughter Ava in 2014© Provided by People

“People thought I was crazy because I had three days off in Australia and she had a daddy/daughter dance when she was 8 and I said, ‘Don’t tell her, but I’m coming home.'”

“It’s like a 12½ hour flight, plus the time difference, it was insane. But I figured it out and I surprised her. And those are the kind of things, in any relationship obviously, but it needed to be done when I was sometimes gone. It was very, very important to me.”

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Read the original article on People.

Related video: The Real Reason Richie Sambora Left Bon Jovi (Dailymotion)