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Linda Ronstadt Is a Mom of 2! Meet the ‘Blue Bayou’ Singer’s Adopted Children Mary and Carlos

You know her for her hit songs “Blue Bayou,” “When Will I Be Loved” and tons more, but did you know Linda Ronstadt is the doting mom of two kids? The iconic performer keeps her family out of the spotlight, but that doesn’t take away from how much love she has for her children, Carlos and Mary.

Linda first went through the process of adoption when she was in her early 40s. Even though the Grammy Award winner “never seriously considered marrying” any of her ex-boyfriends — Jerry Brown, George Lucas or Albert Brooks — she always knew she wanted to become a mom one day.

“I’ve thought about it a lot. I like children a whole lot,” Linda told Playboy magazine in 1980. “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. 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.”

Because her former romances didn’t work out, the “Don’t Know Much” songstress chose to adopt. In December 1990, her wish of becoming a mom came true when she adopted a baby girl, whom she named Mary Clementine, according to reports. Four years later, she completed her family when she adopted her son, Carlos, in 1994.

Throughout the early years of motherhood, Linda juggled her role as a mom with her iconic singing career. After more than a decade of splitting her time between life at home in San Francisco and being on tour, the opera artist announced her retirement in 2011.

Since then, Linda has continued to make appearances on TV and at events. Although it’s extremely rare for the proud mom to open up about her kids, she gave fans a glimpse into her life as a mom while speaking to an audience at a Hudson Union Society discussion in 2013. At the time, the Emmy Award recipient revealed how Carlos and Mary are involved with her music.

“My son, he was probably 8 or 9 years old one day, and he said, ‘Hey mom, why didn’t you ever sing rock ‘n’ roll?'” she recalled. As for Mary, Linda dished her daughter takes after her love of music and even jokingly gets “outraged” when her mom sings in English. “[Mary started singing] in Spanish when she was about 9 years old,” the proud mama gushed.

Mary and Carlos are all grown up now, but Linda has still kept a tight lip regarding details about her beloved children. Fortunately, the “You’re No Good” singer has all the love and encouragement of Carlos and Mary throughout her longtime battle with progressive supranuclear palsy.

“I have a progressive disease, which is progressing, unfortunately,” Linda exclusively shared with Closer Weekly in November 2020. “But I have a lot of support from friends and family so I’m pretty content.”

Keep scrolling below to learn more about Linda’s two kids, Carlos and Mary!