‘The Voice’ star Gwen Stefani’s mom and dad influenced her love of music
Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty Images; Chance Yeh /Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Left: Gwen Stefani at the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards from Ford Center at The Star on May 16, 2024 in Frisco, Texas. Right: Dennis Stefani and Patti Stefani attend Gwen Stefani launches LAMB Spring 2006 Collection at Roseland on September 16, 2005 in New York City.
Before Gwen Stefani wrote and performed hit songs like “Make Me Like You,” she learned a lot about music and love from her parents, Patti and Dennis Stefani.
The No Doubt singer’s mom and dad met at their high school in Anaheim, Calif., and they raised her and her three siblings — Eric, Jill and Todd — in the same city.
As fans of bluegrass and folk music, Patti and Dennis took Gwen to concerts when she was young, which helped spark her interest in music. This fostered a bond between them that wasn’t deterred even when Gwen reached stardom, and she decided to keep living with her parents until her late 20s.
Related: Gwen Stefani’s 3 Siblings: All About Eric, Todd and Jillian
To this day, The Voice coach shares a close relationship with Patti and Dennis. For Mother’s Day in May 2024, Gwen posted a touching Instagram video montage, featuring photos of Patti posing with various members of their family. In her caption, she wished her “beautiful Mom + all the beautiful Mom’s out there” a happy Mother’s Day.
The following month, she shared a sweet Instagram photo dump with throwback shots of her and Dennis to celebrate him on Father’s Day. “Happy Father’s Day to my incredible Dad 🤍,” Gwen wrote in her caption. “I love u !!”
Here’s everything to know about Gwen Stefani’s parents, Patti and Dennis Stefani.
Patti and Dennis met in high school
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Gwen Stefani with her mom Patti Stefani and dad Dennis Stefani backstage at L.A.M.B Spring 2008 during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Tent at Bryant Park on September 5, 2007 in New York City.
During a January 2005 interview with Rolling Stone, Gwen shared the story of how her parents first crossed paths.
“My mom and dad met at Anaheim High School,” she said. “After they got married, all they wanted to do was have four children, and they did.”
They married in 1966
Gwen Stefanis/Instagram
Gwen Stefanis’s parents on their wedding day in 1966.
Ahead of exchanging wedding vows with fellow Voice coach and country star Blake Shelton in July 2021, Gwen shared moments from her bridal shower with her family on her Instagram Stories.
“The Sweet Escape” vocalist posted a card with a copy of “The Mass on the Day of Marriage” of her parents, which showed that their wedding date was June 11, 1966.
The card served as her “something old,” and it read, “Wishing you all the happiness your heart can hold… today, tomorrow, always. We love you so very much!”
They raised Gwen and her siblings in California
Gwen-Stefanis/Instagram
Gwen Stefani with her parents, mom Patti and dad Dennis.
After Patti and Dennis tied the knot, they welcomed four kids: daughters Gwen and Jill, plus sons Eric and Todd.
Gwen had a positive experience growing up in the greater Los Angeles area. While speaking with Clash in April 2016, she recalled that her parents were regular churchgoers and described an overall “happy home.” She elaborated, “We were kind of like the most idealistic family that you could imagine.”
The performer lived with Patti and Dennis in Anaheim until she was 26, around the time “Just a Girl” climbed to the top of the charts.
“My parents were quite strict with me and I was living at home even into my 20s, and I would have to come home and knock on my parents’ door,” she shared in a March 2017 video about the meaning of the 1995 hit.
She admitted, “I just wanted to write a song to express how I was feeling in that moment and I never in my wildest dreams thought that anyone would hear it.”
Patti and Dennis shared their love of music with Gwen
Gwen Stefanis/Instagram
Gwen Stefanis with her dad Dennis and sister Jill.
During her January 2005 interview with Rolling Stone, Gwen recalled her parents introducing her and her siblings to bluegrass and folk festivals.
Folk and country-rock artist Emmylou Harris was one of the first shows Gwen ever attended. “She had just had a baby and she took a break in the middle of the show to go feed the baby,” she recounted. “I couldn’t believe it.”
Years later, when Gwen started experimenting with her voice and style, she gave her dad a demo tape of a song she wrote titled “End It on This.” The artist told Vogue in April 2008 that Dennis would listen to it while going to work and play it for others. He later came back to her with thoughts that immediately stuck with her.
“I remember two things he said to me. One was ‘Everybody’s saying that your songwriting is really good and you should just keep going,’ ” she told the outlet. “And the other was ‘Don’t ever take lessons, because your voice is really unique. There’s just something about it.’ ”
Dennis is a marketing executive
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Gwen Stefani, Patti Stefani and Dennis Stefani at the Roseland in New York City.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Dennis has been the executive vice president at the marketing and consulting company, Added Value North America, since 1989.
The marketing executive’s specialties include “brand and innovation strategy” as well as “new product development systems” and “integrating consumer insights to inspire and guide new product identification.”
Dennis earned an MBA from the College of Business and Economics at California State University, Fullerton, and previously worked at DRI International, TBWA Chiat Day and Yamaha Motor Corporation.
Patti was a dental assistant
When Gwen spoke with Rolling Stone in January 2005, she shared that Patti quit her job as a dental assistant to stay home with her and her siblings.
Gwen’s wedding cake was a recreation of Patti and Dennis’
Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images
Kingston Rossdale, Gwen Stefani, Apollo Stefani, Blake Shelton, Zuma Rossdale, Patti Stefani and Dennis Stefani at the star ceremony where Gwen Stefani is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, California on October 19, 2023.
On Gwen and Blake’s wedding day in July 2021, they celebrated with a cake made by Dallas-based Fancy Cakes by Lauren. The business shared photos of the cake on Instagram, which featured bells, sugar flowers, white chocolate cherubs and white swan pillars.
“Our bride wanted to make a sentimental statement by recreating her parent’s wedding cake,” the caption read about the dessert’s inspiration. “Both of Gwen’s parents were there to see her honor them with this cake.”
Five years prior, in June 2016, Gwen and her sons celebrated Dennis and Patti’s 50th wedding anniversary with a party and a three-tier wedding-style cake decorated with white roses and gold leaves. Gwen shared glimpses of the special day on Snapchat, posting a photo of the cake and a photo of her parents sharing a kiss.
