NEW YORK – Bon Jovi is headlining a concert series to raise funds for lung cancer research – a cause that became personal for the New Jersey rockers after bandmate Richie Sambora’s father died of the disease last year.

The group was dedicating the kickoff concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan on Tuesday night to the guitarist’s father, Adam Sambora. It came days before the opening of the band’s “Lost Highway World Tour.”

Funds raised during the yearlong concert series will go to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where Sambora’s father received treatment.

The series, organized by Stand Up for a Cure, also will feature performances by Jerry Seinfeld, Andrea Bocelli and other artists. Future concert dates have not yet been announced.

The non-profit group also has commissioned three mobile care centers in the New York area, which will be named after the rocker’s parents, Adam and Joan Sambora.

According to the National Cancer Institute, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among both men and women in the U.S., and will kill more people this year than breast, prostate and colorectal cancer combined.

On the Net:

Bon Jovi:

http://www.bonjovi.com/bonjovi/

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center:

http://www.mskcc.org

Stand Up for a Cure:

http://www.sufac.org