Selena Gomez Playing Linda Ronstadt in New Biopic
Selena Gomez is playing Linda Ronstadt in an upcoming biopic about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame artist.
Per Variety, Gomez shared a photo of Ronstadt’s 2013 memoir Simple Dreams via her Instagram story. The outlet later confirmed Gomez’s casting in the biopic, but no other casting details are known. Variety further notes the film is in pre-production. Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, is one of the producers of the biopic.
Ronstadt retired from music in 2011 due to progressive supranuclear palsy. Mayo Clinic describes the disease as “an uncommon brain disorder that causes serious problems with walking, balance and eye movements, and later with swallowing.” Furthermore, “The disorder results from deterioration of cells in areas of your brain that control body movement, coordination, thinking and other important functions.”
Ronstadt’s career is as unique as it is successful. Selling more than 100 million albums worldwide, she’s dabbled in many different music genres, from rock to country to Latin music and everywhere in between. She’s won 12 Grammy Awards and was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2019.
Ronstadt was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. While she did not appear at the ceremony, Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey did the honors of inducting her. (Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner famously were Ronstadt’s backing band before forming the Eagles.)
“It was my selfish wish that Linda would have been inducted in 1998 with the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, the Mamas and the Papas and Santana,” said Frey. “But that time has passed, the time is now, and Linda’s music and legacy give us so much to celebrate and contemplate.”
A host of women sang in tribute to Ronstadt during her induction. Among them were Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris.
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