Meet Linda Ronstadt’s Adopted Children

Linda Ronstadt is an established singer-songwriter who has had remarkable success over the years. Known as “The Queen of Country Rock,” the artist has released 24 studio albums and won nearly a dozen Grammy Awards. While Ronstadt has been a household name since the 1970s, chances are, you “Don’t Know Much” about her. Ronstadt has been private about her personal life, including the details surrounding her two adopted children. She has, however, opened up about her personal life a bit since retiring from the music industry. This is the Linda Ronstadt adoption story.

A “Long Long Time” Ago…

Linda Ronstadt was born on July 15, 1946, in Tucson, Arizona to Mary Ruth and Gilbert Ronstadt. She dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles as a teen to pursue a career in music. By the time she was in her early twenties, she was recording albums. She is best known for her chart-topping songs such as “You’re No Good,” but she is less known as a doting mom of two. While she has always kept her children out of the spotlight, she has always had a deep love for her children.

“I’ve thought about it a lot. I like children a whole lot.

The only reason to have children is because you want them more than anything else, and if I get to that point, I won’t care if I’m married or not,” she told Playboy Magazine in the 1980s before adopting her kids, “I’d prefer to be with the kids’ father, because I think that would multiply the enjoyment and the richness of the experience geometrically, but I don’t think it would be impossible to do it alone.”

While Ronstadt never got married, she did achieve her dream of becoming a mom when she adopted her children in her 40s.

Marching to the Beat of a “Different Drum”

Linda Ronstadt adopted her daughter, Mary Clementine, in 1990. Mary was an infant at the time. Then, in 1994, Linda adopted her son, Carlos. He has stayed out of the limelight but is also said to be a musician.

“My son is actually really talented,” Linda shared in an interview with Closer. “He picked up the guitar and just learned it like lightning, but that’s not his primary focus. He’s a techie and has a good job and a nice girlfriend. My children both use music for their own enjoyment, which is what music is really for.”

Both of Linda Ronstadt’s adopted children are close with their musician mom, and both are said to have a love and appreciation for music.

“My daughter can sing harmonies because I taught her how,” the star told Closer about her daughter, Mary, in July 2021.

In a separate interview with the same publication in November 2020, Ronstadt said:

“Children need art in their lives — real art, not the stuff you watch on television. Art is essential for processing your feelings, connecting to your origins and who you are.”

Love is “Somewhere Out There”

In a 2022 interview with AARP Magazine, Ronstadt opened up about her medical condition that ended her music career. The 78-year-old has progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP,) a rare brain disorder that is similar to Parkinson’s disease.

She lives with her adult daughter, Mary, and shared that, while “Marriage wasn’t for me anyway,” her two children “are a constant source of joy for her.”

“Her face beams when I ask about them,” the reporter described in the article.

Ronstadt discussed sharing her Mexican heritage and love of Mexican music with her children.

“My daughter didn’t know that I sang in English until she was about 6. She had only heard me sing in Spanish,” Ronstadt explained.

She also shared with the reporter that her son lives just a mile from his mother and sister.

“He has a really nice girlfriend that I like a lot, and they come over for Sunday brunch,” Ronstadt said.

For Ronstadt, adoption has been an incredible path for parenthood. Despite the singer’s fame and national praise, her life was given a deeper sense of meaning upon the adoption of her children. It is an inspirational story for anyone considering this path.

Learn More About Adoption

Whether you would like to adopt a child, like Linda Ronstadt, or are facing an unplanned pregnancy and are considering making an adoption plan, Adoptions With Love can help. We can help you every step of the adoption journey. Call 800-722-7731 or contact us online for obligation-free information.