"I grew up dancing around the living room in socked feet to the sounds of Carole's soulful voice," Taylor Swift said in a 2021 tribute.
Carole King is widely known for the music she wrote for Broadway but she's also an author and environmental advocate. It's hard to believe she just turned 81 years old. On February 14, the musician shared a sweet photo of herself holding a cake on Instagram with the caption, "Thank you for all the birthday wishes." Earlier, on February 9, she had shared a childhood snap on Instagram captioned "Birthday girl."
The musician holds the prestigious title of being the third female artist in history to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Singer Taylor Swift, 33, paid tribute to King during the event in 2021 sharing, "I grew up dancing around the living room in socked feet to the sounds of Carole's soulful voice, her infectious melodies and lyrics that I, a 7-year-old, thought had been crafted for my exact, specific life experience," said Swift according to PEOPLE. "I listen to Carole's music now and feel that same tingle of recognition."
"Her songs speak to the true and honest feelings that everyone has felt, is currently feeling, or hopes to feel one day. So it is only right for them to be passed down like precious heirlooms from parents to children, older siblings to younger, lovers to each other," the Wildest Dreams singer added.
As for her personal life, over the years King has been married several times. She first married Gerry Goffin in 1959 and the pair had two children together, daughters Louise Goffin and Sherry Goffin. The couple divorced ten years later in 1969. The singer married musician Charles Larkey in 1970 and they had two children Molly Larkey in 1971 and a son, Levi Larkey, in 1974. The couple split in 1976. King found love again with her third husband, Rick Evers, but he sadly passed away after they were together for only one year. The last time she got married again was in 1982 with Rick Sorenson which ended in 1989.
Over the years, the songwriter has also loved spending time taking care of her family. The (You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman singer is now a grandmother-of-five— Dillon Kondor, Sophie Kondor, Elijah Wells, Hayden Wells, and Ocean Larkey. Many of her family members have taken after her and joined the path of music. According to Grand Magazine, Dillon is a guitarist and singer, and Elijah and Hayden Wells are both musicians as well.
As for King, she remains unpretentious and warm as ever despite her flourishing decades-long career. The award-winning musical Beautiful is based on her life and is considered a must-see. At first, she struggled to watch her story unfold but one night she went to watch the show incognito and was blown away. She even surprised the audience by appearing on stage and performing the song Beautiful.
References:
https://www.instagram.com/carole_king/
https://www.grandmagazine.com/2021/04/carole-king-the-tapestry-of-her-amazing-life/
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Arturo Holmes
