Melissa Etheridge and wife Linda Wallem have been happily married for 10 years and Etheridge tells People the fact that they both have the same birthday could be one of the keys to their relationship.
“I can tell you it helps. It helps a lot,” Etheridge, who like her wife was born May 29, 1961, jokes. “We’re Gemini, so we just think we’re the coolest. We just have a lot of fun.”
Before marrying Linda in 2014, Etheridge was married to Tammy Lynn Michaels for seven years, and they had two kids together. She was also in a prior relationship with Julie Cypher, with whom she had two children, including son Beckett, who died in 2020.
“[Linda and I are] so supportive of each other. It’s the best relationship I’ve had in my whole life,” she says, noting, “After my second breakup, I had four kids and was like, ‘I’m obviously horrible at picking partners. I’m not going to do this anymore.’”
But the difference this time is that Melissa and Julie were longtime friends before finally getting together.
“Life is not just second chances — life is always chances,” Etheridge says. “There’s no, ‘Well, that’s just the way it is.’ We can always make a different choice.”
Next up for Etheridge, her new docuseries, Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken, premieres July 9 on Paramount+. She’s also currently on tour, and will play Avon, Colorado, on July 3. A complete list of dates can be found at melissaetheridge.com.
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