Joni Mitchell Becomes U.S. Citizen After 62 Years
The Canadian-born singer, 82, celebrated her naturalization, marking a significant personal milestone after decades in the United States.
Canadian-born music legend Joni Mitchell, 82, has officially become a U.S. citizen, a journey she noted began 62 years ago. Mitchell shared the news on Instagram Tuesday, posting a photo of herself holding an American flag and a video from her naturalization ceremony.
The "Help Me" singer was born in Fort Macleod, Alberta, and first moved to the United States in 1965 at the age of 21 with her then-husband, folk singer Chuck Mitchell. The couple initially settled in Detroit before Mitchell moved to New York City in 1967 after their marriage ended. She resided in Chelsea, Manhattan, where she wrote the song "Chelsea Morning."
In 1968, Mitchell relocated to Los Angeles, becoming a prominent figure in the Laurel Canyon music scene. She has since lived in various parts of California, including Bel Air and Santa Barbara. Her personal life has included a marriage to musician Larry Klein, from whom she divorced in 1994, and a reunion with her daughter, Kelly Dale Anderson, whom she had placed for adoption as an infant in 1965.
Michell has often spoken about her connection to both Canada and the U.S., once describing Los Angeles as her professional base and British Columbia as her emotional home. "LA is my workplace, BC is my heartbeat," she told the Ottawa Citizen in 2006.
This citizenship milestone follows a rare return to Canada in March for the 2026 Juno Awards, where she received the Lifetime Achievement Award. During that visit, she also commented on American politics, expressing admiration for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and making veiled remarks about the political climate in the United States.
Mitchell has navigated significant health challenges, including a brain aneurysm in 2015 that led to a coma. She has described this experience as unexpectedly positive, contributing to her quitting smoking and leading to a more comfortable home environment with a team of nurses. The singer's life and career are also the subject of an upcoming biopic, with Meryl Streep reportedly set to portray an older version of Mitchell.