NEW YORK – Between the Kennedy Center Honors and a CNN documentary about her life debuting on television New Year’s Day, Linda Ronstadt is taking a career victory lap.
Ronstadt drew attention this month for a comment at a dinner for Kennedy honorees hosted by the State Department and Secretary Mike Pompeo. Ronstadt said she hadn’t planned to mention the Trump administration but did so to show support for fellow honoree Sally Field. The actress had remarked about living in an era where the idea of truth was being challenged, Ronstadt said.
“Half the room applauded and the other half sat in silence,” Ronstadt recalled. “I just wanted to say that I was in solidarity with her. I didn’t want her to stand up there by herself.”
During his remarks, Pompeo referenced a Ronstadt hit, “When Will I Be Loved,” saying he wondered when he’d be loved. When it was Ronstadt’s turn to speak, the 73-year-old retired singer tartly answered the question and said it would be “when he stops enabling Donald Trump.”
FILE – This Feb. 20, 1977 file photo shows singer Linda Ronstadt is flanked by Ringo Starr, left, and Paul Williams after she was named best pop singer for her “Hasten Down the Wind” at The 19th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. A documentary, “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice,” will premiere on CNN on New Year’s Day. (AP Photo)When will Ronstadt be loved? Now seems to be the time, with the well-received documentary, “Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice.” Viewers will see that Ronstadt’s career had two distinct stages.