James Newell Osterberg Jr., better known as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, radio announcer, composer, and actor who was born on April 21, 1947.

The Stooges, a proto-punk band that was established in 1967 and has gone through several lineup changes since were fronted by the man known as the “Godfather of Punk” as its singer and songwriter.

In this particular article, we would like to learn more about his parents.

Iggy Pop parents: Meet James Newell Osterberg, Sr., Louella Christensen

James Newell Osterberg Sr. (1921-2007), a former high school English teacher and baseball coach at Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan, and Louella Osterberg, née Christensen, were both there when James Newell Osterberg Jr. was born in Muskegon, Michigan, on April 21, 1947.

He has Danish and Norwegian heritage from his mother’s side and English, German, and Irish ancestry from his father. A Swedish-American nurse with the last of Osterberg adopted his father.

In Ypsilanti, Michigan, the family resided in a trailer park. Later, Ron Asheton characterized him as having been a typical adolescent: “He congregated with the cool youngsters who dressed in chinos, cashmere sweaters, and penny loafers. Iggy didn’t drink, do drugs, or smoke cigarettes.”