Linda Ronstadt’s Family Roots Are Embedded In Arizona History

When the greatest vocalists of all time are mentioned, it's hard to not bring up Linda Ronstadt. The GRAMMY-Award winning phenomenon has one of the most illustrious careers of any musician, working in every genre she could get her hands on.

While Ronstadt's Arizona heritage is nothing new, her family's roots go deeper in the state's history than most would expect.

Setting a Foundation

The Ronstadt family history starts in the mid-1840s, when Linda's Great-Grandfather, Friedrich August Ronstadt, immigrated from Hanover, Germany to the American Southwest. Friedrich was an engineer, and and set his family up with a profitable wagon-making business, which helped the growing Tucson, AZ immensely.

Later on, in the late 1880s, Friedrich opened Club Filarmónico de Tucson which instantly became a hotspot in the growing city.

Read More: One of America's Favorite Child Stars Lives in Arizona!

Building the Legacy

Friedrich's grandson, Gilbert, began to carry the family name, investing in a ranch just outside of Tucson. He eventually married Ruth Mary Copeman, and began the F. Ronstadt Co., a machinery company that helped Tucson's industrialization vastly.

Eventually, they began to have children. You'll never guess which one we're talking about next.

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The Career of Linda Ronstadt

Born on July 15th, 1946, Linda Ronstadt was destined for greatness. Her earliest memories were sitting in the living room with her family and listening to old Rock 'n' Roll, Blues, Gospel, and Mariachi music. These genres melted together for her, which prompted her unique singing style that so many fell in love with.

After a year at the University of Arizona, Ronstadt decided to focus solely on her music career, and in 1964 she moved to Los Angeles to make that dream a reality. Her career took off from then, and since, she's won 11 GRAMMY Awards, 3 American Music awards, and countless others that have proven her as an unparalleled talent.

Ronstadt quit her career for good in 2011, when she announced her retirement, 2 years after her most recent live performance. Ronstadt began to become incredibly ill in the mid-2010s, which many believed was Parkinson's. She had actually been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, an ultra-rare disease that deteriorates brain tissue.

Ronstadt has continued to fight, and remains today to keep her family's Arizona legacy behind.

[University of Arizona]