All About Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora’s Daughter Ava Sambora

Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora welcomed their daughter, Ava, in 1997

PHOTO: STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE, JEFF KRAVITZ/FILMMAGIC

Exes Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora have so much love for their daughter, Ava Sambora.

The actress and former Bon Jovi guitarist married in 1994 and welcomed Ava three years later. Though they split in 2006 and went through a custody battle, their divorce was finalized in 2007, and the two have continued to reunite for major milestones in their daughter’s life.

“If you don’t get along you are messing the kid up. That’s what happens,” the rocker told PEOPLE in March 2014. “So you have to put that before whatever s––– is going on. Communication has got to come first. There’s a cooling off period obviously, as you know — it takes time. It was almost 10 years ago though. So, we’re fine. Thanksgiving or Christmas, we all spend it together.”

In February 2024, Ava and her longtime boyfriend, Tyler Farrar, got engaged. They announced the big news on Instagram. “My two favorite people,” Locklear wrote in the comments.

Here’s everything to know about Heather Locklear and Richie Sambora’s daughter, Ava Sambora.

She was born in 1997

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Ava was born to Locklear and Sambora on Oct. 4, 1997. After 35 hours of labor, Locklear delivered Ava via cesarean section at Encino-Tarzana Regional Medical Center in Los Angeles.

When Ava was 8 years old, however, Lockear and Sambora announced their split and their divorce was finalized in 2007. The following year, the family reunited for Thanksgiving, and the exes continued to co-parent amicably.

“Heather and Richie are very supportive of each other,” a friend of Locklear’s told PEOPLE at the time. “They talk all the time, and anytime Ava has something important happening, they are there together. It’s going to be a very nice Thanksgiving for everyone.”

She’s very supportive of her mom

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Ava is very close to her mother and has lent her a lot of support over the years as she’s battled with substance abuse. In 2019, Locklear was ordered to complete a 30-day stint in a private rehab facility, and her daughter stood by her.

“Ava has a very loving and supportive relationship with her mom,” a source told PEOPLE. “And as painful [as] it is, she knows that it’s in her mom’s hands and God’s hands. All she can do is like anybody else, just pray and support.”

In turn, she also leaned on her father and other family members to help her through.

“Richie has always been very proud of Ava’s strength and has always been there for her,” a source close to the Sambora family told PEOPLE. “When Ava was younger, she did not realize anyone else was dealing with the stress of her mom’s issue besides her. As she gets older, she knows she’s not alone, and now she has a better understanding of that. She realizes it affects her dad too and they’re trying to help each other.”

Since completing her treatment, Locklear has spent a lot of time with her daughter and often posts sweet tributes to her on social media. For Ava’s 25th birthday in October 2022, she shared several photos of her daughter at her birthday party and wrote: “Happy Birthday to the most wonderful person I know. I love you to the moon and back!!”

“I love you mama 💘,” Ava wrote in the comments. “Thank you so so much.”

She is close to her dad

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Sambora was the lead guitarist of Bon Jovi before he left the band in 2013 to spend more time with Ava. Speaking with PEOPLE in December 2020, the musician said he has “no regrets” about stepping away from the group.

“I’m lucky enough to have an amazing relationship with my daughter,” he said. “We’ve been through a lot of things together. That was a time of psychological maintenance for the family. You know, I ain’t no angel. But I realized, Ava needed me to be around at that point in time. Family had to come first, and that’s what happened.”

Leaving the rock and roll lifestyle behind allowed Sambora the time to drive his daughter to high school every day, which is where “the conversation went down.”

Ava Sambora Says Former Bon Jovi Guitarist Richie Sambora ‘Has Been Such a Rock for Me During My Life’

“You can find out what you needed to find out and see how she’s feeling and all that kind of stuff,” he told PEOPLE. “We’ve always had a very open, conversational relationship. I just said, ‘Hey, you can tell me anything. I’m going to be on your side.’ “

Ava told PEOPLE she’s thankful for the deep bond they have built over the years. “He’s always been such a rock for me in my life,” she said. “He has always been so supportive of me and all of my dreams … My dad loves me with every ounce of himself, and I am so lucky to be his daughter.”

She was a cheerleader in high school

HEATHER LOCKLEAR INSTAGRAM

As a student at Viewpoint High School in California, Ava was a cheerleader. Locklear often shared photos of her daughter cheering on Instagram, including one photo where Ava posed on the field with her parents in 2014.

Despite Sambora’s busy touring schedule, he told PEOPLE in December 2020 that he would fly private to come home from the road and see his daughter, a gesture she deeply appreciated.

“He showed up to every football game I cheerleaded at, every dance recital I performed in, and all of my school functions no matter how far he had to travel,” Ava told PEOPLE. “He even flew all the way from Australia to surprise me at my cotillion for the father-daughter dance.”

She’s a model and actress

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Ava began modeling in March 2010 when she walked the runway at the White Trash Beautiful show — Sambora and designer Nikki Lund’s clothing line — during L.A. Fashion Week.

The then-12-year-old strutted down the runway in four different looks, including a black A-line minidress and a heart print tee, while her mom looked on from the front row.

“I’m very, very proud of her. I’m very excited, and I’m here to support her,” Locklear told PEOPLE at the time. “And the minute she’s done I’m going to grab her and wipe off her makeup and get her into her PJs.”

In addition to modeling for her father’s clothing line, Ava has also worked on campaigns for Baes and Bikinis and 138 Water.

Further following in her mom’s footsteps, Ava also took up acting. She made her film debut in 2012’s This Is 40.

“She is amazing. I was like, ‘Ava, did you do the thing where you get on your mark?’ And she was like, ‘Oh yeah, Mom, it was fine,’ like she has done it forever,” her mom told PEOPLE of watching her daughter act in Judd Apatow’s hit comedy.

A year later, Ava made a guest appearance on an episode of Disney Channel’s Good Luck Charlie. She also had roles in two thriller films: Mommy Be Mine (2018) and A Dark Foe (2020), the latter of which starred Ireland Baldwin.

She takes fashion cues from her mom

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Two decades after her mom rocked a “Bon Jovi Forever” shirt at an ABC Summer Press Tour event, Ava showed off the same tee on Instagram in 2022.

She posted a throwback photo of the Melrose Place star in the old band tee and an image of herself in the one-shoulder top with the caption: “I got it from my mama (Like I literally got this shirt from my mom’s closet 🤪).”

She has two college degrees

HEATHER LOCKLEAR INSTAGRAM

Ava graduated from Loyola Marymount University in 2020. According to her LinkedIn, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a minor in women’s and gender studies.

While Ava was unable to have an in-person graduation ceremony due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Locklear still celebrated her daughter’s big achievement. She shared several photos of the grad on Instagram, including one image of a smiling Ava in her graduation cap.

The proud mom also surprised her daughter by hosting a drive-by graduation with members of her church and the fire department. She posted a video on Instagram of Ava walking down their driveway with the sound of honking horns in the background and wrote, “My church celebrating Ava’s graduation. She got a 4.0 this semester.”

Speaking with PEOPLE in April 2020, Sambora opened up about how much his daughter was looking forward to a graduation ceremony.

“She’s a little bit bummed because, you know, she was graduating in May, and now the pomp and circumstance of the whole graduation thing is off,” he said. “She made the dean’s list every year and all of that other stuff, so she was really looking forward to her graduation.”

In May 2023, Ava got the chance to walk the stage when she received her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of Southern California.

“[Ava] is so close to her parents and they’ve been so supportive,” a source close to the family told PEOPLE. “Both [Locklear and Sambora] were at her graduation, and the family had a party at Richie’s house afterward.”

Locklear shared a photo of her daughter walking the graduation stage with the caption: “Such a proud mama. Congratulations my baby, with your masters in MFT. With your hard work and perseverance and kind heart.”

Later that year, Sambora shared with PEOPLE that Ava is currently working toward her doctorate.

“Ava is killing it. She’s basically practicing psychology,” the rocker dad said. “I’m really proud of her. She’s doing really, really well.”

She praised Locklear for helping her cope with her anxiety

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In October 2020, Ava opened up to PEOPLE about living with anxiety in companion essays with Locklear. She recalled how her anxiety had become “very debilitating” the year before, and she would often experience panic attacks.

A college student at the time, Ava praised her mother for helping her through such a difficult period. “Anytime of the day, she would stop what she was doing and come to comfort me,” she said. “She did everything she could to help me get through those difficult months, from taking me to every doctor’s appointment to giving me tons of books on managing anxiety.”

Ava also credited Locklear for teaching her how to open up to her peers about her mental health struggles. “Dealing with anxiety can be tough when you feel like people don’t understand you,” she wrote. “My mom always made me feel heard. She never judged me and made sure I didn’t feel alone.”

She added, “This was so important to my mental health and helped me continue on with my life … my mom’s kindness made me feel comfortable enough to open up to others about my mental health. She helped me see that it was possible for others to relate to me and understand my experience.”

In Locklear’s essay, she commended her daughter for her kindness and perseverance. “Ava is an example to me to always try to find the good in someone. I have watched her from afar and up close throughout her life, and I aspire to be more like her. Her kindness is contagious,” the proud mom shared.

She is engaged

In February 2024, Ava’s longtime boyfriend, Tyler Farrar, proposed. The couple announced the happy news on Instagram — sharing photos from the moment Farrar got down on one knee, surrounded by candles and white roses.