Chrissie Hynde facts: Pretenders' singer's age, husband, children and career explained

19 July 2024, 16:50

She's a one-of-a-kind.

As the singer and bandleader of The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde kicked the doors down into the male-dominated rock music scene in the late seventies.

Adopting an androgynous, fierce look, Hynde resembled the male rock gods of the time like The Rolling Stones' Keith Richards or Mötörhead's Lemmy - with a hefty dose of punk attitude - more than she did female pop stars of the time.

But The Pretenders had the tunes to back up the image, quickly bursting into the charts and remaining one of the most enduring rock acts of subsequent decades.

They went on to score six top ten UK singles, sell millions of albums worldwide, and even perform at Live Aid, all with Hynde at the helm.

In 2005, The Pretenders were recognised as one of rock's most influential groups having been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

• The Pretenders' 10 greatest songs, ranked
• The Story Of... '2000 Miles' by The Pretenders
• What is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Music's long-running award ceremony explained

Hynde, a vegetarian, went on to become an activist for animal rights and has led campaigns for anti-fur trades for decades long before the ecological concept became the norm.

Never holding her tongue when it came to matters that meant something to her, Chrissie Hynde has been a beacon for women in music around the world.

To think, that might've not been the case if a young girl from rural America hadn't relocated to London where she resides today.

Here's everything you need to know about Chrissie Hynde:

How old is Chrissie Hynde and where was she born?

Christine Ellen Hynde was born on 7th September 1951 in Akron, Ohio in the United States. In 2024 she will turn 73 years old.

Her father was a Yellow Pages manager and her mother was a part-time secretary, and life at high school didn't engage Hynde as a teenager.

"I was never too interested in high school. I mean, I never went to a dance, I never went out on a date, I never went steady. It became pretty awful for me."

Known as "the rubber capital of the world", there wasn't much in Akron to interest a young Hynde, who travelled frequently to Cleveland to see musicians she admired.

After graduating she pursued art at Kent State University where she developed an interest in Eastern mysticism and vegetarianism amid the countercultural movement.

Tragically, during the shocking Kent State massacre in 1970, her boyfriend at the time was among the four victims killed by police brutality.

How did Chrissie Hynde get her start in music?

Chrissie Hynde moved to London in 1973 where she swiftly landed a job as a music journalist for the NME.

It was short-lived, though she befriended future cultural icons in Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren and began working at their famed punk shop, Sex.

There she became involved in the burgeoning punk scene, yet couldn't find her own place as bands like The Damned, The Clash, and the Sex Pistols were all making a major impact.

"All the people I knew in town, they were all in bands. And there I was, like the real loser, you know? Really the loser," she later recalled.

That was until she made her own demo in 1978 and handed it to Real Records label owner Dave Hill who liked what he heard and encouraged Hynde to form her own band.

The result of this was The Pretenders, who found themselves at the top of the UK charts with 'Brass In Pocket' at the beginning of 1980.

What are The Pretenders’ biggest songs?

Pretenders - Brass In Pocket (Official Music Video)

- 'Brass In Pocket'

- 'Don't Get Me Wrong'

- 'I'll Stand By You'

- 'Back On The Chain Gang'

- '2000 Miles'

- 'Kid'

- 'Talk Of The Town'

- 'Middle Of The Road'

- 'My City Was Gone'

- 'Message Of Love'

Is Chrissie Hynde married and does she have children?

Chrissie Hynde is not currently married, though she has been married twice before.

She was first married to Simple Minds' singer Jim Kerr from 1984 to 1990, and latterly to Colombian artist Lucho Brieva from 1997 to 2002.

She shares a daughter with Kerr, Yasmin, who was born in 1985.

Hynde also had a daughter - Natalie, born in 1983 - with The Kinks' legend Ray Davies who she dated for several years and very nearly married.

They nearly tied the knot in Guildford, but "the guy in the registry office took one look at us and suggested we come back another time," she later recalled.

What is Chrissie Hynde’s net worth?

Pretenders - Back On The Chain Gang (Live Aid 1985)

Chrissie Hynde has an estimated worth of $12 million.

When and why did Chrissie Hynde become vegetarian?

Chrissie Hynde discovered vegetarianism whilst studying at university, describing the decision as "the best thing to happen to me".

Whilst she initially judged meat-eaters with "distaste, almost contempt", she has learned to "live and associate with them but never respected them" throughout her life, despite coming under fire by vegans herself.

Because of her values, Hynde became great friends with both Paul and Linda McCartney, who were arguably the most famous of vegetarians throughout the seventies and eighties.

After Linda tragically died in 1998, Chrissie was the primary instigator in organising the Concert For Linda a year later, gathering her friends, family, and fans for a final celebration of the photographer and activist's life.

Is there anything else we should know about Chrissie Hynde?

Cher - Love Can Build a Bridge (Official Video) ft. Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry, Eric Clapton

Chrissie Hynde has lived permanently in London since she first moved there in 1973, though maintained an apartment in her hometown of Akron.

She follows a form of Hinduism called Vaishnavism and travels to India once a year to enrich her studies of the practice.

Before being a British citizen and obtaining a UK work visa, Hynde tried to convince the Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) and Sid Vicious to marry her, though they both declined.

Despite her outspoken rock 'n' roll persona, Chrissie Hynde has oddly enough recorded duets with Frank Sinatra, UB40, and even Cher throughout her music career.