 Gwen Rene Stefani was born on October 3, 1969 in Fullerton, California. She grew up in a loving family with 2 brothers: Todd and Eric, and 1 sister: Jill. As a child, Gwen enjoyed watching the Sound of Music and Kermit the Frog. She looked up to her brother, Eric, who urged Gwen to sing. The first song she and Eric performed was "Stick it in the Hole", a song about a pencil sharpener. The two often performed for the entire family. Gwen was a member of the band from the beginning. When John Spence committed suicide, Gwen had to step up as lead singer.
Her early musical influences include Madness, Prince, and the Specials. As a highschool student, Gwen was on the swimming team and dated fellow band member, Tony Kanal. The two broke up after 7½ years. After a long relationship with Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, the two were married in London and Los Angeles in September 2002. |
