 Jennifer with Parents David and Guadelupe Lopez and two sisters Lynda and Leslie | Movie, music, and fashion icon, Jennifer Lopez started out growing up in a small apartment in Bronx, New York. The Jennifer Lopez family work ethic motivated J Lo and her sisters, Lynda and Leslie, to rise up from their middle class Puerto Rican roots in "the barrio". Now the proud mother of twins, Jennifer Lopez shares her pizazz and spunk when performing on stage and as a voice in the cartoon film,Ice Age 4. |
Who are the members of the Jennifer Lopez family tree that inspired this talented performer to become a famous entertainment vixen? Within this firecracker Jennifer Lopez biography and family tree we learn about her parents, David and Guadeloupe, her talented sisters, Lynda Lopez and Leslie Lopez, and their maternal grandmother Julia Rodriguez.
Jennifer Lynn Lopez - Born July 24, 1969
The life of Jennifer Lopez makes her biography very exciting to research and read. Jennifer Lopez grew up in a very structured Catholic family with her mother, Guadeloupe playing a firm hand in her upbringing. Her sisters Lynda Lopez and Leslie Lopez shared JLo's love for music. Her parents fostered that love for music and the arts by working hard to put her through training in ballet, Jazz, piano, and classical theater. The Jenny From the Block mother permitted Jennifer to follow her passions in the arts, but tried to push her into pursuing a formal education in business school.
At the age of 17, Jennifer rebelled by leaving her childhood home in the Bronx to live in her dance school in Manhattan. Just when her mother seemed to be correct in assuming that Jennifer Lopez gambled too much on the entertainment industry, Jennifer landed a dancing spot as a Fly Girl on the hit 1980s show, In Living Color.
Jennifer Lopez's spark turned into a firework as she gradually accepted bigger and better television and then film roles and eventually made her mark in the recording industry with her own line of music albums. At the age of 40, she finally found her balance. She suffered the saga of various failed marriages relationships on her way up the entertainment ladder. One of those relationships was with Ben Affleck, who starred in two Michael Bay films - Pearl Harbor and Armageddon. The media dubbed them "Bennifer" until they broke up in 2004. Most recently Jennifer Lopez married and divorced her third, Marc Anthony of who she is proud to share a set of twins, Emme and Max. Beyond it all, she mended the rocky relationship with her mother as well.
Now she shares a fashion contract with her ex-husband, Marc Anthony, at Kohls Department Store. Earning spotlight on television in 2011, Jennifer Lopez took her coveted seat at the judges table on the hit Fox show, American Idol. Jennifer Lopez has it all, a mother badge along with fame and fortune.
Guadeloupe, mother of Jennifer Lopez, was born in Puerto Rico to parents who emigrated from Europe. She worked as a kindergarten teacher for many years.
She supported the passions of her three daughters, but stood firm in her belief of the power of a formal education. She had to take a step back and let her middle daughter, Jennifer Lopez, make her own mistakes in her career and love life. In the end, like any troubled mother daughter relationship, it healed when Jennifer became a mother herself.
Guadeloupe Lopez experienced her own magic when she won a 2.4 million dollar jackpot at a casino in Atlantic City. Could this maternal guardian be the connection to Jennifer Lopez's pension for good luck?
David Lopez
David Lopez was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Although he and his wife, Guadeloupe were both born in Puerto Rico, they both did not meet until they were both living in the United States. David Lopez works as a Computer Specialist for NYC Insurance company called Guardian Life Insurance.
Lynda Lopez
Lynda Lopez, is sister to Jennifer Lopez and the youngest of three daughters to David and Guadeloupe Lopez. She grew up with the same love for the entertainment arts as Jennifer. However, Lynda acquired a formal education from Long Island University majoring in Broadcast Journalism. She now has a blooming career as a broadcast journalist serving as a DJ for an NYC radio station, A VJ on VH1, and then later as an entertainment correspondent for an NYC morning television show.
Leslie Lopez
Lynda Lopez, is sister to Jennifer Lopez and the eldest of three daughters to David and Guadeloupe Lopez. Leslie enjoys a career as an opera singer, but spends her time raising her children as a proud housewife.
Julia Rodriguez
Before her death in October 2007, Julia Rodriguez helped shape Jennifer Lopez's life as a very influential maternal grandmother. She raised two daughters, Rosa Myrza and Guadeloupe Lopez. At her funeral, the women in her family noted that Julia loved the Mets and preferred to eat Ritz crackers with coffee for breakfast.
In 2002, Jennifer Lopez honored her grandmother, Julia Rodriguez, with the opening of her upscale restaurant, Madres in Pascedena California. Jennifer sets up the menu to include many of her grandmother's delicious Latin dishes.
