Neil Young Breaks Silence on Ex-Wife Pegi’s Death

Neil Young paid tribute to musician Pegi Young, his ex-wife, who died last week at age 66 after a battle with cancer.

Young shared a photo of Pegi on his website, along with the lyrics to his 1992 song “Such A Woman,” which she inspired.

“Thanks Pegi, for being such a wonderful mother to our children,” Young, 73, added. “You live on inside of them and the many you have touched.”

Pegi died on Jan. 1 in California, a year after she was diagnosed with cancer. Her death was announced on her official Instagram account.

“With great sadness, we confirm that on January 1st, after a yearlong battle with cancer, Pegi Young – mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, musician, activist and co-founder of the Bridge School – passed away surrounded by her friends and family in her native California,” the statement read. “We request that the families’ privacy be respected at this time.”

Young and Pegi were married from 1978 until Young filed for divorce in 2014, and had two children together, son Ben and daughter Amber. In 2018, Young married actress Daryl Hannah.

In 1986, Young and Pegi co-founded the Bridge School, an educational program for students with speech and physical impediments after their experiences with their son, who has cerebral palsy. The Youngs also began the Bridge School Benefit concert in Mountain View, California, to raise funds for the school. Although usually an annual event, there was no concert in 2018. In a letter to fans, Young cited “personal reasons” for no longer hosting the concerts.

“Thanks to Pegi Young for coming up with the idea and pursuing it with such great dedication, working for the kids like our child Ben, young children with disabilities who needed more than our education system offered,” Young wrote in June 2017. “Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to the artists who have been so generous with their time and great performances.”

Pegi also began appearing on Young’s recordings and performed “Philadelphia” with him at the 1994 Academy Awards. She also toured with Young as a backup singer and released solo albums in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2016.

Pegi’s last album was titled Raw and was a reflection of her experiences after the divorce.

“It told a story. I kind of look at it as a soundtrack to the seven stages of grief,” she said of the album in Rolling Stone interview. “You’ve got anger, then shock and disbelief. As we go through the album, the later songs show my growth and… I can’t say total acceptance, but I think the last song, that wonderful Don Henley song [“The Heart of the Matter”], talks about forgiveness. That’s really where it’s at, you know?”

Photo credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images