Tucson Music Hall to Be Renamed in Honor of Linda Ronstadt

Linda Ronstadt is receiving a special hometown honor…

The Tucson Music Hall will be renamed in honor of the 75-year-old half-Mexican American retired singer, a southern Arizona native who went on to become a Grammy-winning superstar, as announced by Mayor Regina Romero.

Linda RonstadtOne of the top performers of the 1970s and a popular singer well into the 21st century, Ronstadt collected nearly a dozen Grammys in several categories, including country, pop, Latin and children’s music.

She stopped singing in 2009 when Parkinson’s disease robbed her of her singing voice.

“Linda Ronstadt is a beloved daughter of Tucson. It is time to honor her legacy and her ability to tell the story of our culture through music,” Romero said in a statement.

Ronstadt arrived on the music scene in 1967 as the lead singer of the Stone Poneys, a country-folk trio that featured two of her friends from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She later found success as a solo artist in eclectic genres ranging from rock to Mexican ranchera.

She was influenced by the Mexican music she grew up listening to as a child in Tucson.

“To me, nothing is more satisfying than going home to Tucson and singing with my dad,” Ronstadt once told The Los Angeles Times.

The venue will be formally renamed on May 7 during the International Mariachi Conference Espectacular Concert. Romero’s office said Ronstadt is scheduled to be in Tucson to unveil new signage bearing her name.

“I am fortunate to be a member of a large musical family that has been associated with the City of Tucson since the 1800s,” Ronstadt said in a statement released by the city. “My entire career was informed and nurtured by the music we made as I was growing up here.”

Giffords’ Hero Elected to Tucson-Area School Board

He’s the former intern for U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz) who rushed to the congresswoman’s side after she was shot in the head outside a Tucson supermarket. And, now Daniel Hernández Jr. is now an elected member of a Tucson-area school board.

The 21-year-old hero—who propped up Gifford’s head in a move credited with helping save her life—was elected to a vacant seat on the Sunnyside Unified School District governing board. Hernández received 61.8 percent of the vote.

“Our entire team is very proud of Daniel,” Jessica Schultz, Giffords’ campaign political director told the Los Angeles Times. “His commitment to southern Arizona was evident through his work in our office.”

The University of Arizona political science major can add this feat to his list of accomplishments, including  attending the State of the Union address, meeting President Obama and throwing out the first pitch at Major League Baseball’s All-Star game.

During the shooting in January that left six people dead and severely injured Giffords, Hernández ran to her side, was the first person to attend to her, and tried to stop her bleeding—possibly saving her life. His quick thinking made him a national hero, a title Hernandez didn’t think he deserved. But President Obama disagreed.

“We’ve decided you are a hero because you ran through the chaos to minister to your boss and tended to her wounds and helped keep her alive,” Obama said during a memorial service in Tucson.

Image courtesy of Photo by David Becker/Getty Images.