| Lita Ford Quick Info |
|---|
| Height | 5 ft 5 in |
| Weight | 58 kg |
| Date of Birth | September 19, 1958 |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Boyfriend | None |
Lita Ford is an accomplished singer whose dad is English and mom is Italian. The American musician is into heavy metal songs. Her vocal range is considered to be mezzo-soprano. In her entire career, she has released songs solo as well as a member of the band The Runaways (now defunct). In 1995, she also took a break of 10+ years from singing after the birth of her kids. She returned back to singing in 2008.
Born Name
Lita Rossana Ford
Nick Name
Lita
Sun Sign
Virgo
Born Place
London, England, United Kingdom
Residence
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
Occupation
Rock guitarist, actress, vocalist, and songwriter
Family
- Father – Harry Leonard Ford
- Mother – Isabella Ford
Manager
Lita Ford is represented by Freeman Promotions (Publicist).
Genre
Glam metal, heavy metal
Instruments
Vocals, guitars
Labels
Mercury Records, RCA, JLRG Entertainment, SPV/Steamhammer
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 5 in or 165 cm
Weight
58 kg or 128 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
Lita Ford has dated –
Glenn Tipton – Lita Ford is reported to have had a fling with guitarist Glenn Tipton, who was a member of the music band Judas Priest. This fling was confirmed by Ford herself in her autobiography.Dee Dee Ramone – Lita has had a fling with musician and singer Dee Dee Ramone, who founded the rock band The Ramones. It was even reported that she had contracted crabs, which are small parasites that are usually found in the pubic hair.John Entwistle – According to reports, Ford has had sexual relations with English bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, who was also a part of The Who, in the late seventies. They were pictured together at a couple of events during that time. He reportedly freaked out one night after he saw black and blue marks on her legs. He thought that she might be into sadomasochism but the marks had come from horse riding.Danny Bonaduce (1975) – Ford had a very short-lived relationship with TV personality and professional wrestler, Danny Bonaduce in 1975.Eddie Van Halen – In the late seventies and early eighties, Ford had friends with benefits equation with rock legend Eddie Van Halen, whom she used to call Edward because he apparently hated his commonly used name. In one interesting anecdote shared in her autobiography, she was having a make-out session with Van Halen in her living room in 1980. In the middle of their session on the floor, she found out that someone was kicking her ankle and that someone was a large man named Mark, with whom she had broken up recently. Mark had climbed up balconies to get there. Van Halen freaked out and got into the bathroom and locked it from inside. After she had convinced Mark to leave, she found that Van Halen had escaped from the bathroom. In fact, he had managed to squeeze himself out of the tiny window above the shower and had dropped four stories down. He then borrowed a dime from a kid on the street to call 911.Paul Cook – Lita has had a fling with Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook. Apparently, he was passing by her room when she was changing her clothes. He saw her undressing through the opening in the door. She then saw him and locked eyes with him instead of covering herself. He then entered her room for a passionate sex session. She would complement her lovemaking skills in her autobiography.Ritchie Blackmore – She reportedly dated guitarist and musician Ritchie Blackmore in the past.Nikki Sixx (1981-1984) – Lita Ford first met Nikki Sixx, the bassist and co-founder of the rock band, Mötley Crüe, at a party held at The Troubadour in December 1981. When she initially introduced herself to him, he told her that his name was Rick. But when she told him that she wanted to share her drugs with him, his attitude changed. Their relationship started from Ford taking a bit of Quaalude and putting remaining in Nikki’s mouth. They dated for about two and a half years as they ended their relationship in June of 1984.Mick Cocks (1984) – Immediately after her breakup with Nikki Sixx, Ford hooked up with Australian musician Mick Cocks, who was a member of the Australian band Heaven. They had grown close while recording his band’s single, Rock School. The song had a guest contribution from Ford, Glenn Hughes, and Ronnie James Dio.Bon Jovi (1984) – As per her accounts in her autobiography, when she was recording her music album Dancin’ on the Edge in New York, Bon Jovi and guitarist Richie Sambora were also working in a studio nearby. They often used to hang out together. After one night at the club Traxx, she invited Jovi, Sambora, Aldo Nova, and her best friend Toni to her room at the Broadway Plaza Hotel. After that, she proceeded to have a make-out session with Jovi. However, their make out was interrupted after Jovi started puking right on the bedroom carpet.Richie Sambora (1984) – However, Toni who was having her own make-out session with Sambora decided to get out of the bed so that Ford could have fun with Sambora. Ford got in bed with Sambora and Jovi also recovered in the meanwhile. Aldo also decided to join in the fun and the scene in the room turned into a scene from an ancient Roman orgy.Tony Iommi (1985-1987) – Ford first met guitarist and songwriter Tony Iommi after she was asked to open for his heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was her idol and she was blown over by his handsome good looks. On the night of their music show, they fooled around a bit but couldn’t do much as his heavy cocaine abuse had made him impotent. However, they remained in touch and slowly their relationship progressed. Eventually, he invited her to meet his mother in England and while they were on the flight, out of nowhere, he punched her in the eye. When she met his mother, she saw Ford’s black eye and informed her that abuse ran in his family. However, she didn’t heed the warning and they eventually got engaged. He abused her 4 to 5 times during the course of their relationship. The worst episode happened shortly after their engagement. He choked her unconscious and by the time she came around, she found him holding a chair that he was going to smash in her face. She managed to roll quickly enough to evade the chair and ran to her former boyfriend Nikki Sixx’s house, who got her some heroin, which he said would take the pain away and help her sleep.Chris Holmes (1987-1992) – Ford started dating W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes in 1987. They took their relationship to the next level by getting married in June 1990. However, their marriage hardly lasted two years as they got divorced in 1992.Billy Sheehan (1987) – Ford had a fling with bassist Billy Sheehan in 1987. They had reportedly hooked up while working for some of her tracks, which were later released in 2016 in the album, Time Capsule.Jim Gillette (1983-2011) – Ford started going out with Jim Gillette, who was the vocalist for a metal band called Nitro, in the summer of 1983. They got married in May 1984. In May 1997, she gave birth to their first son, James Leonard Gillette. Their second son Rocco Gillette was born in June 2001. She decided to end their marriage in February 2011. Their divorce was finalized about two years later. However, out of respect for her children, she rarely spoke about her marriage with Gillette. But in her autobiography, she hinted that he had coerced her to do some things she never wanted to, which included the release of a 2009 comeback album, Wicked Wonderland, which is widely considered as her worst work. Lita has even revealed that proposed TLC reality show about her family life was scrapped after his husband turned their children against her. He was apparently miffed because she had taken control of the project. It has also been revealed that her sons physically attacked her after she decided to divorce Gillette. They were encouraged by their father to attack her.Race / Ethnicity
White
On her father’s side, Lita has English ancestry. While, on her mother’s side, she is of Italian descent.
Hair Color
Blonde
Eye Color
Hazel
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Blonde locks
- Eccentric style sense
- Tattoos
Brand Endorsements
Lita Ford has appeared in the TV commercials for
- Guitar Hero Computer game (2008)
- Job search website, Indeed (2016)
In 1988, Lita was featured in print adverts for Titan guitar strings.
She has also had an endorsement deal with musical instrument manufacturer B.C. Rich. As part of the deal, she mostly used B.C. Rich guitars in her live performances.
Best Known For
- Being the lead guitarist of the all-girls American rock band, The Runaways. They achieved quite a success in the second half of the seventies with their singles such as Queen of Noise, Hollywood, and Cherry Bomb charting at the top of the music charts.
- The commercial success and popularity of her solo studio album, Lita. The album was certified as ‘Platinum’ in the US and ‘Gold’ in Canada. It also peaked at the 29th spot on the Billboard 200 charts.
First Album
Her debut studio album with her music group was The Runaways, which was released in 1976 to mediocre success.
In 1983, she released her debut solo album, Out for Blood.
First Film
In 1991, Lita made her theatrical film debut in the adventure comedy flick, Highway to Hell.
First TV Show
In 1977, Lita Ford made her first TV show appearance as herself on the music TV series, Whistle Test (originally titled as The Old Grey Whistle Test).
Personal Trainer
Lita Ford isn’t a fan of working out and exercising. She simply hates it. Instead, she tries to remain as active as possible to maintain her figure even in advanced age. She believes that performing on stage and touring provides her with sufficient cardio work.
However, she is very careful about what she eats. Lita stays away from brown sodas and fried food. She also avoids eating chocolate. Plus, she makes sure that she is getting sufficient sleep in the night.
Lita Ford Favorite Things
- Guitars – 80s-built B.C. Rich’s
- Hair Products – I.C.O.N. India Oils, replenishing sprays, moisturizing hairsprays, shampoos, and conditioners
- Place to Visit – London, England
- Wardrobe Items – Torn up jeans, jeans with patches, cowboy boots
Source – Hello Giggles, Headbangers Lifestyle
Lita Ford Facts
At the age of 11, she started playing guitar. She was inspired by Deep Purple’s guitarist Ritchie Blackmore.In 1975, Lita was recruited by music promoter Kim Fowley for the female rock band, The Runaways. She was 16 years old at that time.Her music group The Runaways officially decided to separate in April 1979 as the band members argued on the direction they wanted the band to head in. Ford and drummer Sandy West wanted them to continue producing hard rock music while lead singer Cherie Currie, Joan Jett, and bassist Jackie Fox wanted them to shift towards punk rock genre.After the release of her album Black in 1995, Lita decided to take a break from her music career and instead focus on her young sons. She released her next album, Wicked Wonderland almost 15 years later.In 2016, she released her autobiography Living Like a Runaway: A Memoir, which was well received by her fans as well as music critics.In 2015, she participated in the reality cooking show Chopped. She was eliminated in the second round but managed to raise $10,000 for her charity.When she was 4 years old, her family moved from England to the United States and eventually settled down in Los Angeles.When her music group broke up in 1979, she decided to get enrolled in voice coaching lessons. She also took many odd jobs such as perfume saleswoman and fitness instructor to support herself financially.She has done extensive activism work for Toys for Tots, which is a charity operated by the US Marine Corps that donates holiday toys to underprivileged children.In her appearance in the documentary film Edgeplay: A Film About the Runaways, she hinted at the sexual abuse, band members endured at the hands of management, especially their band manager Kim Fowley.Featured Image by Rufus / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
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