Age, Biography and Wiki
Joan Marie Larkin, professionally known as Joan Jett, was born on September 22, 1958, in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. As of 2025, she is 66 years old. Jett is renowned for her contributions to rock music, primarily as the lead singer of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts and as a founding member of the pioneering all-girl rock band The Runaways. Her music career has been marked by numerous hits, including "I Love Rock 'n Roll," which catapulted her to international fame.
| Occupation | Rock Singer |
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| Date of Birth | September 22, 1958 |
| Age | 67 Years |
| Birth Place | Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Although specific details about her current height and weight are not widely available, Joan Jett is known for her petite stature, often standing around 5 feet 2 inches tall. Her energetic stage presence and iconic style have contributed significantly to her enduring popularity.
Jett has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Her signature guitar is a white Gibson Melody Maker, which she has played on all her hits since 1977. Jett bought her first Melody Maker from Eric Carmen, following the breakup of the Raspberries. In regard to her white Melody Maker, the singer once stated: "In The Runaways I was using a blond Les Paul. It's beautiful, and I still have it, but it's heavy as shit. I jump and run around a lot onstage, and it was really getting to my shoulder, so I was looking for a lighter guitar. I heard from one of our road crew that Eric Carmen from the Raspberries was selling a Melody Maker, so I ended up buying it. Now, this is the guitar that he played on "Go All the Way" and all those [Raspberries] hits. And then I played it on "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", "Crimson and Clover", "Do You Want to Touch Me", "Bad Reputation" ...all those early records. Then I took it off the road because I got nervous that someone was gonna steal it or break it. It's so beautiful. It's white, has no stickers on it, and there are cracks in the paint and yellowing from age or club cigarettes. It's an unbelievable-looking guitar. I have it in a closet and I take it out occasionally to record. But I don't even need to use it to record anymore, because I have a guitar that sounds pretty much like it. I'm actually kind of afraid to bring out the original. It's got a great heritage. It's a guitar full of hits."
| Height | 5 feet 2 inches |
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Dating & Relationship Status
As of the latest updates, Joan Jett's personal life is not extensively documented in public, and she is known to maintain a private stance regarding her relationships. Discussions about her current partner or relationship status are not frequently discussed in mainstream media.
She is the oldest of three children. Her father was an insurance salesman and her mother was a secretary. Her family was Protestant, attending church and Sunday school, but were not strict in their religious beliefs.
In 1967, Jett's family moved to Rockville, Maryland, where she attended Randolph Junior High School and Wheaton High School. She got her first guitar at the age of 13. She took some guitar lessons, but soon quit because the instructor kept trying to teach her folk songs. Her family then moved to West Covina, California, in Los Angeles County, providing Jett with the opportunity to pursue her musical interests. Shortly after the move, her parents divorced and she changed her name to Joan Jett, because she thought it had more of a rock star sound than her birth name. She has admitted in recent years that "Jett" was not actually her mother's maiden name, even though that is what she used to tell people. In Los Angeles, Jett's favorite night spot was Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco, a venue that provided the glam rock style she loved.
Jett was an executive producer for the film The Runaways, which chronicled the Runaways' career. It was written and directed by Floria Sigismondi, who has directed videos for Marilyn Manson, the White Stripes and David Bowie. Production of the movie began filming around Twilight's Kristen Stewart's filming schedule, (i.e. of the sequels New Moon and Eclipse). Stewart played Jett in the film. In order to prepare for the role, Stewart met Jett around January 2009. In an interview, Stewart revealed that she hoped to be able to sing some songs in the film. The film explores the relationship between Jett and Runaways' lead singer, Cherie Currie, played by Dakota Fanning, and premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2010. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts appeared at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, at Harry-O's, to promote the film.
Jett, along with the Blackhearts, released the album Unvarnished on September 30, 2013. The album reached Billboard 's Top 50. It included songs dealing with the death of her parents and other people. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.
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Net Worth and Salary
Joan Jett's net worth is estimated to be around $10 million as of 2024, with some sources suggesting it could be slightly lower at $7 million. Her earnings stem from a successful music career, including record sales, royalties, and live performances. Her iconic status and enduring popularity contribute to steady income streams.
Jett worked with members of the punk rock band the Gits, whose lead singer and lyricist, Mia Zapata, had been raped and murdered in 1993. The results of their collaboration was a live album, Evil Stig and a single, "Bob", whose earnings were contributed to the investigation of Zapata's murder. To this end, the band and Jett appeared on the television show America's Most Wanted, appealing to the public for information. The case was solved in 2004, when Zapata's murderer, Jesus Mezquia, was brought to trial and convicted.
Jett is a sports fan and has remained actively involved in the sports world. "Bad Reputation" was used by Ultimate Fighting Championship's Women's Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey as her walkout song at the pay-per-view event UFC 157 and is her current theme music in WWE. In April 2019, Jett performed "Bad Reputation" at WWE's WrestleMania 35 as Rousey was making her entrance.
Career, Business and Investments
Early Career: Joan Jett began her music career as a member of The Runaways in 1975. After the band disbanded, she pursued a solo career, forming Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. Her breakthrough came with the hit single "I Love Rock 'n Roll," which became a massive success worldwide.
Business Ventures: Jett's business ventures include managing her band, producing music, and exploring opportunities in film and television. She has appeared in several movies and documentaries, showcasing her versatility beyond music.
In 1979, she returned to Los Angeles, where she began fulfilling an obligation of the Runaways to complete a film that was loosely based on the band's career entitled We're All Crazee Now! Three actresses stood in for the departed band members, including Rainbeaux Smith, who was also a rock drummer. The plug was pulled on the project halfway through shooting after Jett fell ill, but in 1984, after she became famous, producers looked for a way to use the footage from the incomplete film. Parts of the original footage of Jett were eventually used in another project, an underground film called Du-beat-eo, which was produced by Alan Sacks, but not commercially released.
In 1979, Jett was in England pursuing a solo career. She recorded three songs there with the Sex Pistols' Paul Cook and Steve Jones, one of which was an early version of Arrows' "I Love Rock 'n' Roll". This version appears on the 1993 compilation album Flashback. While working on We're All Crazee Now!, Jett met songwriter and producer Kenny Laguna, who was hired by her manager Toby Mamis to help Jett with writing some tracks for the film. They became friends and decided to work together and Jett relocated to Long Beach, New York, where Laguna was based.
Jett's first appearance on film is in the 1981 live concert film Urgh! A Music War, performing "Bad Reputation" with the Blackhearts at the Ritz in New York City. A spring 1981 concert at the Palladium in New York City proved to be a turning point. Described by music journalists as a career-defining performance by Jett, it helped solidify a strong New York City following for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. After a year of touring and recording, the Blackhearts recorded a new album entitled I Love Rock 'n Roll for the label. Ambel was replaced by local guitarist Ricky Byrd during the recording. Byrd recalled in an interview with Guitarhoo!, "One day I went to a studio to jam around a bit with Jett and everything clicked". The first single from the album was the title track, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which in the first half of 1982 was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks in a row. It is Billboard No. 56 song of all time and has also been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2016.
On May 14, 2021, it was announced that to celebrate the 40th anniversaries of Jett's first two albums, Bad Reputation and I Love Rock & Roll, Z2 Comics was releasing two graphic novels titled Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - 40x40: Bad Reputation/I Love Rock 'n' Roll that will bring Jett's "songs to life as 20 vivid stories" by female writers and artists in the comic book industry. The books were released in November 2021.
Jett's cover of "Love Is All Around" (the theme song of The Mary Tyler Moore Show) was used by the NCAA to promote the Women's Final Four, as well as the song "Unfinished Business", which was never commercially released. "Love Is All Around" gained substantial radio play and became the number one requested song without a supporting album. Jett supplied theme songs for the ESPN X Games premiere and has contributed music to all their games since. At Cal Ripken Jr.'s request she sang the U.S. national anthem at the Baltimore Orioles game in which he tied Lou Gehrig's record for consecutive games played. She also sang the national anthem at the final game played at Memorial Stadium. From 2006 to 2015, the melody for her song "I Hate Myself for Loving You" was used as the theme music for NBC Sunday Night Football with re-worked lyrics and retitled "Waiting All Day for Sunday Night". Beginning with the 2019 season, Jett performs the song with Carrie Underwood in the opener of Sunday Night Football games.
In June 2016, as a response to the Pulse nightclub shooting which left 49 dead, Jett was the first to sign Billboard magazine's Open Letter on Gun Violence demanding that Congress enact gun control legislation, specifically universal background checks. Jett was followed by Lady Gaga and nearly 200 other musicians and music industry executives in their petition.
Social Network
Joan Jett maintains a presence on major social media platforms, although she is not as active as some contemporary artists. Her official social media accounts are managed to keep her fans informed about her music, tours, and other professional endeavors.
Jett next beat out a number of contenders to star in the movie Light of Day (1987) alongside Michael J. Fox as siblings who perform in a rock band. It was originally written by director Paul Schrader with Bruce Springsteen in mind; although Springsteen declined the role, he wrote the song "Light of Day" for the film. While the film received mixed reviews, Jett's performance was critically acclaimed. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times believed she matched her acting to co-star Gena Rowlands, calling it "the most surprisingly good performance." Janet Maslin of The New York Times wrote: "Miss Jett is good too, snapping her way angrily through confrontational scenes and musical ones alike, and taking a sentimental turn just when the story does."
In 2004, Jett and Laguna produced the album No Apologies by the pop punk band the Eyeliners, after signing them. Jett also guested on the track "Destroy" and made a cameo appearance in its music video. Also in 2004, Jett narrated a short film, Godly Boyish, about two teenagers who share suicidal fantasies.
Jett starred in and was the executive producer of the film Undateable John, which was released in 2014. In April 2014, Jett fronted the remaining members of Nirvana for a performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She joined the band again later that night for its surprise concert at Saint Vitus. Jett played Betsy Neal in the television film Big Driver. The film, based on Stephen King's novella of the same name, premiered on Lifetime on October 18, 2014. Jett provided the voice for the character Sunshine Justice in an episode of Steven Universe.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released Changeup on March 25, 2022, the first acoustic album ever recorded by the band, featuring "Bad Reputation" and "Crimson and Clover". On June 2, 2023, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts released the 6 song EP, Mindsets. The EP the band's first release of new material in ten years. Jett played a post pandemic welcome back concert in honor of first responders in the summer of 2022 at the Nassau County Harry Chapin Lakeside Theatre hosted by Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman that set a record attendance of 27,000 concert attendees.
Though Jett supported Howard Dean in the 2004 election because of his opposition to the Iraq War, she has been a consistent supporter of the United States Armed Forces throughout her career and has toured for the United Service Organizations for over 20 years, and even performed at the United States Military Academy. She often explains that while she doesn't like war, she loves the military.
In July 2015, attorney Jackie Fuchs (formerly Jackie Fox of the Runaways) alleged that Kim Fowley raped her on New Year's Eve 1975, at a party following a Runaways performance at an Orange County club. Sixteen years old at the time, Fuchs was reportedly given Quaaludes by a man she thought was a roadie, and while she was incapacitated, Fowley allegedly raped her in full view of a group of partygoers and her bandmates Currie, West, and Jett; Ford was not present. Look Away, a documentary about sexual abuse in the rock music industry features Fuchs' story.
Fuchs said that her last memory of the night was seeing Currie and Jett staring at her as Fowley raped her. Kari Krome (co-founder and songwriter for the group) stated that she saw, "Jett and Currie sitting off to the side of the room for part of the time, snickering" during the rape. In 2015, Jett stated "Anyone who truly knows me understands that if I was aware of a friend or bandmate being violated, I would not stand by while it happened. For a group of young teenagers thrust into '70s rock stardom there were relationships that were bizarre, but I was not aware of this incident. Obviously Jackie's story is extremely upsetting and although we haven't spoken in decades, I wish her peace and healing." Victory Tischler-Blue (Fuchs's replacement in the group) said that all the members of the group "have always been aware of this ugly event".
Education
Information about Joan Jett's formal education is not extensively detailed in public sources. Her early life focused on music, with her career beginning at a young age with The Runaways.
Jett and Laguna entered the Who's Ramport Studios with the latter at the helm, and Jett's self-titled solo debut was released by Ariola Records in Europe on May 17, 1980. In the US, after the album was rejected by 23 major labels, Jett and Laguna released it independently on their new Blackheart Records label, which they started with Laguna's daughter's college savings. Laguna remembers, "We couldn't think of anything else to do but print up records ourselves." With Laguna's assistance, Jett formed the Blackhearts. It has undergone many lineup changes since its inception, with Jett and Laguna being its only consistent members.
Jett's honors include being inducted in the Long Island Music Hall of Fame (Class of 2006), appearing on Rolling Stone 's 100 greatest guitarists of all-time list in 2003 and 2023, and being named West Hollywood's Rock Legend in 2013. She also received the Nanci Alexander Activist Award for her work on behalf of animal welfare. In April 2014, Jett was the first woman to win the Golden God Award. Former bandmates Cherie Currie and Lita Ford supported her. On April 24, 2014, Alternative Press magazine held its first-ever Alternative Press Music Awards, and Jett received the AP Icon Award. In 2015, she and the Blackhearts were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
