Happy Birthday, Stevie Wonder! See the 25-Time Grammy Winner's Life in Photos
Happy Birthday, Stevie Wonder! See the 25-Time Grammy Winner's Life in Photos
Diane J. Cho, Brendan LeWed, May 13, 2026 at 10:31 AM UTC
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Stevie Wonder in 1974
Credit: Michael Putland/Getty
Stevie Wonder has done it all in his six-decade career.
The renowned musician signed with a record label at just 12 years old and went on to become one of the most decorated artists in history, winning 25 Grammy Awards, an Oscar and more. He has also been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame.
Away from the stage, he is the loving dad of nine children: Aisha, Keita, Mumtaz, Sophia, Kwame, Kailand, Mandla, Zaiah and Nyah.
In honor of his 76th birthday on May 13, 2026, read on to dive into the life and achievements of one of the greatest, most gifted musicians of all time.
01 of 19
Stevie Wonder's Michigan Beginnings
Stevie Wonder
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Stevland Hardaway Judkins was born on May 13, 1950, in Saginaw, Michigan. The child prodigy, who lost his vision shortly after being born, learned how to play the piano before the age of 9. By 12 years old, Judkins signed to his first record contract with Berry Gordy's Motown's Tamla label, which is around the time he'd impressed label executives so much that he'd earned the nickname Stevie Wonder.
02 of 19
Stevie Wonder Records with Marvin Gaye
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A young Stevie Wonder manned the mic next to music legend Marvin Gaye at the Motown recording studio in Detroit in 1965.
03 of 19
Stevie Wonder Rehearses for Sounds of Tamla Motown
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The up-and-coming star joined big acts — the Supremes, the Temptations, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and Smokey Robinson — at rehearsals for the 1965 TV show Sounds of Tamla Motown in London.
04 of 19
Stevie Wonder Guest Stars on 'The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'
Credit: CBS Photo Archive/Getty
Musician and TV host Glenn Campbell joined Wonder as he performed on Campbell's TV variety series, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, in 1969.
05 of 19
Stevie Wonder's Family at the 1974 Grammys
Credit: CBS via Getty Images
The star's mom and brother joined him at the 16th annual Grammy Awards — and snapped a photo with Little Richard and Chuck Berry — in 1974.
06 of 19
Stevie Wonder Live at The Garden
Stevie Wonder
Credit: Michael Putland/Getty Images
Stevie Wonder performed hits from his Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants double album at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1979.
07 of 19
Stevie Wonder Attends the MLK Gala in 1982
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In support of Civil Rights and friends Coretta Scott King and Harry Belafonte, Wonder attended the MLK Gala at The Atlanta Civic Center in 1982.
08 of 19
Stevie Wonder Is Inducted Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Credit: Vinnie Zuffante/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Paul Simon of Simon & Garfunkel had the honor of introducing and inducting Wonder into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York City in 1989. Wonder took the stage with his daughter Aisha to accept his award.
09 of 19
Stevie Wonder Poses with Michael Jackson and Friends at the 1986 Grammy Awards
Credit: Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
It was a star-studded event at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards, where Wonder gathered with fellow music giants Quincy Jones, Dionne Warwick, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie for a photo.
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10 of 19
Stevie Wonder Receives the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1996 Grammys
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The proud dad brought two of his kids, son Keita and daughter Aisha, to the 38th Annual Grammy Awards, where he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award and Grammys for best male R&B vocal performance and best R&B song for "For Your Love." The musician has been married three times and has nine children.
11 of 19
Stevie Wonder Wins an Oscar for Best Song in 1985
Credit: Getty
The legend isn't just a Grammy winner, he's won an Oscar, too. Wonder earned an Academy Award for Best Song in 1985 for "I Just Called to Say I Love You" for the film, The Woman in Red.
12 of 19
Stevie Wonder Guest Stars on 'Saturday Night Live'
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Eddie Murphy did the honors of playing Wonder on Saturday Night Live in 1983.
13 of 19
Stevie Wonder Embraces Nelson Mandela
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The then-South African President Nelson Mandela hugged the singer and thanked him for his involvement in anti-apartheid activities when the African National Congress was still a banned organization in South Africa.
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Stevie Wonder Performs at the Super Bowl in 1999
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Gloria Estefan and Wonder headlined the Super Bowl XXXIII Halftime Show in Miami in 1999.
15 of 19
Stevie Wonder Is Honored by the Kennedy Center
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Wonder joined fellow Kennedy Center honorees — Sean Connery, Judith Jamison, Jason Robards and Victor Borge — to have dinner, hosted by then-US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, at the State Department in Washington, D.C., in 1999.
16 of 19
Stevie Wonder Is Appointed as UN Messenger of Peace
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Then-UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed Wonder to be the United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2009.
17 of 19
Stevie Wonder Is Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
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President Barack Obama presented Wonder with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House in 2014.
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Stevie Wonder as a Dad of 9
Stevie Wonder with 7 of his kids, his niece Tia and ex-wife Kai Millard
Credit: Randy Shropshire/WireImage
Wonder is a proud dad of nine kids born between 1974 and 2014. He shares two, Zaiah and Nyah, with his current wife Tomeeka Robyn Morris, but even though he is no longer with the mothers of his older children, he remains a present figure in their lives.
"I'm not one of those fathers who just send money," he told O, The Oprah Magazine in 2004. "I guide them as a father and talk to them as a friend. I always want my children to feel they can tell me anything."
19 of 19
Stevie Wonder's Life Now
Stevie Wonder
Credit: Michael Kovac/Getty
Although the prolific singer-songwriter has dialed back his musical output, he continues to use his talent and platform for good. Wonder released his first song in four years, "Can We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart," in August 2024, and he performed on the campaign trail for presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
He continues to take the stage for special occasions, such as a Motown tribute at the 2023 Grammys and a headlining spot at the 2025 Lytham Festival in the United Kingdom. Most recently, he performed a tribute at the funeral of his close friend, civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, who died in February 2026.
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