Linda Ronstadt live at The Summit, Houston, 1978 – by Patrick Ranasinghe

Linda Ronstadt live at The Summit, Houston, 1978   

Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) Ronstadt’s father came from a pioneering Arizona ranching family and was of Mexican descent with a German male ancestor. The family’s influence on and contributions to Arizona’s history, including wagon making, commerce, pharmacies, and music

Linda is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American Music Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, and an ALMA Award. Many of her albums have been certified gold, platinum or multiplatinum in the United States and internationally. She has also earned nominations for a Tony Award and a Golden Globe award. She was awarded the Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Latin Recording Academy in 2011 and also awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy in 2016. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. On July 28, 2014, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts and Humanities. In 2019, she received a star jointly with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their work as the group Trio. Ronstadt was among five honorees who received the 2019 Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievements.

In 2011, Ronstadt was interviewed by the Arizona Daily Star and announced her retirement. In August 2013, she revealed to Alanna Nash, writing for AARP, that she has Parkinson’s disease and “can no longer sing a note.” Her diagnosis was subsequently re-evaluated as progressive supranuclear palsy.

Patrick Ranasinghe