Adele Ann Springsteen is the mother of Singer, songwriter, and musician Bruce Springsteen. Adele Ann Springsteen’s son Bruce is an award-winning performer who is regarded as one of the biggest and most successful stars in Hollywood. He has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He ranked 23rd on Rolling Stone’s list of the Greatest Artists of All Time, which described him as being “the embodiment of rock & roll”.
Adele Ann Springsteen: Bio Summary
| Name | Adele Ann Springsteen |
| Age | 98 years old at the time of death |
| Date of birth | May 4, 1925 |
| Birthplace | Brooklyn, New York |
| Date of death | January 31, 2024 |
| Famous as | mother of Bruce Springsteen |
| Parents | Anthony Zerilli and Adelina Sorrentino |
| Spouse | Douglas Frederick Springsteen |
| Children | Bruce Springsteen, Virginia Springsteen Shave, and Pamela Springsteen |
| Occupation | Legal secretary |
Who Is Bruce Springsteen’s Mother, Adele Ann Springsteen?
Adele Ann Springsteen was born on 4 May 1925. Her parents are Anthony Zerilli and Adelina Sorrentino. Adele was originally from the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. She reportedly lived at 467 75th St. in 1930 when she was about four years old. She is of Italian ancestry. Her Italian father was born in Vico Equense and emigrated through Ellis Island.
Adele Ann has not disclosed a lot about her early life and family. She was married to Douglas Frederick “Dutch” Springsteen (1924–1998). They had three children. Their children are singer-songwriter Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen, Virginia Springsteen Shave, and actress and photographer Pamela Springsteen.
Adele Ann Springsteen Was the Breadwinner In Her Family
Adele Ann Springsteen worked as a legal secretary. Her husband Douglas Frederick Springsteen who had mental health issues, did various jobs including working as a bus driver after he reportedly served as an Army veteran of World War II and had retired. While her husband suffered from mental health problems throughout his life, Adele was the main breadwinner in the family. She took care of the family.
Douglas is said to have gone through a challenging phase due to his financial problems. It is said that his struggles to improve his financial status didn’t go well, which made him mentally disturbed, leading to Adele financially supporting the whole family. Son Bruce claimed his mother earned more money than his father.
Adele’s Husband Battled Mental Illness Throughout His Life
As mentioned earlier, Adele Ann Springsteen’s husband, Douglas Frederick Springsteen suffered from mental health issues throughout his life. He was mentally disturbed and instead of his situation getting better, it rather worsened in his later years. He is said to have been a bully and had drinking problems. Douglas reportedly suffered from Schizophrenia, a mental disorder that led to him interpreting reality abnormally.
ALSO READ: Douglas Frederick Springsteen: How Did Bruce Springsteen’s Father Die?
Douglas Frederick Springsteen’s situation affected his family. His son Bruce Springsteen who wrote some songs in memory of his father tried acting like him. Douglas inspired Bruce’s songs and monologues about sullen, embittered fathers and headstrong sons. Bruce made it known that he attempted to be like his father through his mannerisms and physique.
Bruce said: “The thing that happens is: when we can’t get the love we want from the parent we want it from, how do you create the intimacy you need? I can’t get to him and I can’t have him. I’ll be him. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll be him … I’m way into my 30s before I even have any idea that that’s my method of operation. I’m on stage. I’m in workmen’s clothes. I’ve never worked a job in my life.”
Also, he said: “My dad was a beefy, bulky guy. I’ve played freaking guitar my whole life, but I’ve got 20 or 30 extra pounds on me from hitting the gym. Where’d that come from? Why do I spend hours lifting up and putting down heavy things for no particular reason? My entire body of work, everything that I’ve cared about, everything that I’ve written about, draws from his life story.”
He added: “Here is where I was lucky. At 32, I go into hardcore analysis. I don’t have my children until I’m 40, so I’m eight years into looking into a lot of these things because what I found out about that archetype was it was f***ing destructive in my life. It drove away people I cared about. It kept me from knowing my true self.
“And I realized: ‘Well, if you wanna follow this road, go ahead. But you’re going to end up on your own, my friend. And if you want to invite some people into your life, you better learn how to do that.'”
Is Bruce Springsteen’s Mother Still Alive?
Bruce Springsteen has spoken about his mother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. “My mother loves to dance,” Bruce said.
“She grew up in the ’40s … (with) the big bands and the swing bands, and that was a time when dancing was an existential act. She’s 95 and she’s 10 years into Alzheimer’s and that’s taken a lot away from us. But the need to dance hasn’t left her.”
“She can’t speak. She can’t stand. She can’t feed herself. But when she sees me, there is always a smile. Still a smile. And there’s still a kiss. And there’s a sound which she makes when she sees me. It’s just the sound but I know it means ‘I love you.’
ALSO READ: Who Is Sam Ryan Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen And Patti Scialfa’s Son?
“And when I put on Glen Miller and she starts moving in her chair — she does, she does — she starts reaching out for me, to take her in my arms once more and to dance with her across the floor.”
“This is an essential part of mom’s spirit, it’s who she is. It’s beyond language and it’s more powerful than memory. It’s the embodiment. This is what she has put her trust in and lived her life by and which, despite all she has suffered, she carries on with to this moment, as if life’s beauty never deserted her. I love her.”
Bruce Springsteen’s mother Adele Ann Springsteen passed away at age 98 on January 31, 2024. The singer announced in an Instagram post that his mother has died. He shared a video of the two of them dancing to the Glenn Miller swing-era standard “In the Mood” with the caption: “Adele Springsteen — May 4, 1925-January 31, 2024.” He then quotes at length from the lyrics for “The Wish,” one of his songs that invokes her.
Adele Ann’s husband Douglas Frederick “Dutch” Springsteen died on 26 April 1998, at age 73, in Belmont, San Mateo County, California, USA. He died due to heart ailments. He was buried at Saint Rose of Lima Cemetery, in Freehold Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA, per Findagrave.
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