Bret Michaels’ Unlikely Bond With Ohio Man Puts Them Both In The Spotlight

Bret Michaels’ unlikely bond with a young Ohio man is earning both of them some national attention this week. Michaels formed a friendship with the young man a year ago, and they have stayed in close contact ever since. According to RTV 6, the friendship between Bret and Johnny brought them together at a concert in Cleveland over the weekend.

There is a reason why this friendship is so special. Johnny Kocisko is 21-years-old, and he was born with Down’s Syndrome. His mother calls the young man a “blessing” because the family thought they might lose him long before now. He lives on, and he calls Bret his best buddy. Since meeting Michaels at an event last year, Johnny made sure to attend each concert he could in his local area. When the Ohio man attends the concerts held by the front man of Poison, he does not sit out in the audience. He has his own spot backstage to watch Michaels perform some of his classic hits from the 1980s.

Johnny spoke with the press about his special friendship with Bret Michaels.

“Bret Michaels and me, we’ve been friends a long time. I go to all his concerts.”

Bret considers his unlikely friendship with the Ohio man important as well. For Christmas, he gave Johnny a signed guitar. Another guitar is featured with him in a special photo. The National Down Syndrome Society selected a photo of the young man rocking out on guitar to post in Times Square this weekend. The photo will be one of the highlights of the 20th Annual Buddy Walk set for Saturday in New York City.

Johnny’s mother wanted to take him to the event, but she was not able to do so. When the woman mentioned the honor and the fact that she could not take him to New York City, Bret Michaels surprised her. He offered immediately to pay for the mother and son to go to New York City. He paid to fly them out, and Michaels paid for their hotel room. They will spend a week together in New York City, and Johnny will make an appearance on The Chew, a daytime talk show, on ABC.

Bret Michaels is still making music. He covered Lionel Richie’s “Endless Love” for a Nissan ad campaign released last month. The car company even released a four-minute long music video for the cover. As for his band, Poison, Michaels did reveal something that will make fans of the band happy. In an interview with Clevescene, Michaels talked about the band’s future. Poison will hit the road together for a new tour, and fans could see them in concert together as early as 2015.

Bret Michaels’ unlikely bond with this young man is definitely showing his softer side. What do you think about his friendship with Johnny?

Photo: Video screencap