Linda Ronstadt Wasn’t One for Marriage! Inside the Iconic Singer’s Dating History Over the Years

Linda Ronstadt dances to the beat of her own drum, that’s why she never walked down the aisle with any of her former loves. The iconic singer’s dating history includes famous men like Aaron Neville, George Lucas and Jim Carrey, but she never got to the point where she was ready to get married to any of them.

“I have no talent for [marriage]. Not a shred,” Linda told the Washington Post in 2019. “I don’t like to compromise. If I want a pink sofa and somebody doesn’t want a pink sofa, I’m not going to go for that. I want the pink sofa.”

At the time she was rising in the ranks as a music performer, Linda was in many high-profile romances. The “Blue Bayou” songstress dated John Boylan, a record producer and songwriter, in the early ’70s. Following their relationship, she was involved with fellow musician JD Souther and actor Albert Brooks.

Although Linda enjoyed having a partner, she never imagined herself getting married. While chatting with Crawdaddy magazine in 1974, she credited the crazy Hollywood lifestyle for being the reason she was always hesitant to give true love a shot.

“Relationships are almost impossible. First of all, you have the possibilities of new ones waved in your face every three seconds,” she explained. “And second of all, you’re not around long enough. And also, the people you come in contact with are other musicians, and everybody’s real competitive.”

Linda noted she never wanted to put herself in the situation to be let down. “Relationships just don’t seem to pan out for very long, you know?” she shared. “I just didn’t understand for the longest time … ‘Why can’t people just get married and stay married? I mean, you love somebody and you just stay married.’ It’s just not that way. You’re subjected to so much new information all the time that you just change.”

Even though she never exchanged vows with her past loves, Linda didn’t let that stop her from becoming the loving mom of her two kids. The “When Will I Be Loved” singer adopted her eldest daughter, Mary, in December 1990, followed by the adoption of her son, Carlos, in 1994.

Now that she’s a single lady in her 70s, Linda focuses her time on her beloved children and career. Despite her longtime battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, the Grammy Award winner said music will “always [be] essential” in her life.

“I can’t play the guitar or piano. I can’t sing at all,” she exclusively shared with Closer Weekly in November 2020. “But I still love music and can still play music in my head.”

Scroll through the gallery below to see a complete timeline of Linda’s dating history.