Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar, the iconic singer/actress and songwriter -has been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020.
Benatar was born Patricia Mae Andrzejewski on January 10, 1953; the Greenpoint, Brooklyn native needs little introduction as she is internationally known for a number of 80’s hits including ‘Love Is a Battlefield’ ‘We Belong’ and ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’
During the 1980s, Benatar had two RIAA-certified Multi-Platinum albums, five RIAA-certified Platinum albums, three RIAA-certified Gold albums and 19 Top 40 singles. In addition, she is a four-time Grammy Award-winning singer. She won the Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance four years in a row, from 1980 to 1983.
The 66-year-old has been married twice and is the mother of two children.
Husbands
Her artist name Benatar, comes from her first marriage to Dennis Benatar. The couple were married from 1972 until 1979. Dennis Benatar and Pat were high school sweethearts, at the time of their marriage she was 19 and she dropped out of college after having attended for only six months. She and Dennis did not have any children together.
Dennis Thomas Benatar was an army draftee who trained at Fort Jackson, South. After their marriage, the two moved to Virginia, where was stationed as a soldier and Pat worked as a bank teller.
Dennis later made a career working as an assistant director and production manager. According to IMDb, he’s worked in Fallen (1998), Phone Booth (2002) and Once Upon a Time in America (1984).
Following her divorce, Pat found love again and in 1982 she tied the knot to current husband Neil Giraldo -with whom she welcomed two children.
Neil James Giraldo who also goes by “Spyder“ -is widely known as a musician and songwriter, producer and arranger. He is Pat’s longtime guitarist, the two were introduced by producer and writer, Mike Chapman in 1979. At the time Neil was an up and coming guitarist and he was hired as Pat’s musical director. He is credited with helping her establish a more aggressive sound.
He was born in 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio. The son of Sicilian heritage, Giraldo began his career in 1978, as a key member of the Rick Derringer band, after beating out 200 other guitarists for the position.
Over the years Giraldo has produced some of Benatar’s biggest hits including “Love is a Battlefield” and “We Belong”. Giraldo has performed on every Benatar album and produced all but two.
In addition to working with his wife, he has performed, written and produced for many artists including: Rick Derringer, John Waite, Rick Springfield, Kenny Loggins, Steve Forbert, The Del-Lords, Scott Kempner, and Beth Hart.
His work has sold over 45 million records and his contributions have produced five Grammy Awards and an additional four Grammy nominations. He and Pat Benatar are also known for performing at fundraising events and lending assistance to the non-profit organization, The Children’s Lifesaving Foundation.
In 2017, Giraldo founded and is the chairman of Steel Bending Spirits LLC. Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the spirits company released its inaugural offering, Three Chord Bourbon in July 2018.
Children
Pat Benatar is the mother of two grown daughters, Haley and Hana Giraldo -born from her marriage to second husband, Neil Giraldo.
Haley Egeana Giraldo was born February 16, 1985. Following her parents footsteps, she was once in a band called “Glo” with members Molly Torrence and Erin Potter. “Glo” toured with Pat Benatar. Haley is also known for being a social media personality and model who rose to fame by posting fashion and lifestyle photos. On Instagram she has over 150k followers.
In 2003 she made a guest appearance on an episode of Hollywood Squares and also appeared on the reality, Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive.
Haley and husband Matt Williams are the parents of one daughter, Stevie James.
Hana Giraldo was born March 12, 1994; like her sister, she is known as a social media star with over 700k followers on Instagram. The 25-year-old stunner revealed in an interview she has been a victim of cyberbullying and has become a fierce anti-bullying activist.
Hana who is known as a stylist and designer, founded her own vintage fashion line called RiptLA. She began her social media career by styling Vine stars including Lele Pons, Inanna Starkis, Hannah Stocking, and Ray Diaz. Her videos eventually went viral.
On Instagram she describes herslef as an ‘Actress/ Creator/ Singer/ Fashionista’
