Rod Stewart Brought His 94-Year-Old Sister Onstage For An Emotional Rendition Of 'Sailing'

Jul 12, 2023

Rod Stewart has left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of millions of people worldwide and continues to make an impact in the lives of many up until today through his music. 

Stewart is among the best-selling music artists of all time. He started his career in 1962, joining Jimmy Powell and The Five Dimensions as the band's harmonica player and vocalist, before he moved on to different groups and eventually, his own solo career. To date, he has released a total of 32 studio albums and seven of those reached No. 1 on the UK album charts.

He is most known for his hits like “Sailing,” “Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright),” "Maggie May" and “You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim),” among many other chart-toppers that eventually became classic hits.

Stewart is a recipient of a Grammy Award, a BRIT Award and an Ivor Novello Award. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005, was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and was awarded a CBE in the 2007 New Year Honours. Eventually, he was appointed Knight Bachelor during the 2016 Birthday Honours. For all his achievements over his six-decade career, Stewart’s worth now stands at $300 million.

Despite his illustrious and heavily awarded career, Stewart, 79, is known for being a great family man. On top of being a doting father to his eight children, Stewart also became a grandfather for the first time in 2011.

Additionally, the family he was raised in is also a meaningful part of Stewart's life, as he was the youngest of five children. In July 2023, he even brought out his 94-year-old sister onstage while he performed in Edinburgh. To learn more about Stewart's deep love of family, keep reading.

Stewart's large brood is no secret. The rock star has a daughter Sarah from a teenage relationship; Kimberly and Sean from his first wife Alana Hamilton; Ruby from his relationship with Kelly Emberg; a daughter Renee and a son Liam with his second wife Rachel Hunter; and two sons, Alistair and Aiden from his current marriage to Penny Lancaster.

While some might argue that parents should treat all their children equally, Stewart has a different approach to parenting. He believes each of his children should be treated depending on their needs.  

“I have to be several different fathers because of the different age groups of my kids. You really have to treat all of them as individuals with individual problems,” he told PEOPLE in an interview back in 2021.

Undeniably fulfilled to have been gifted with a great wife and kids, Stewart couldn’t be any happier to see his children.

“I couldn’t ask for anything better. What makes me happiest now is seeing all my kids and my wife with big smiles on their faces,” he remarked.

Stewart's family obviously means a lot to him, and he certainly does to them too. After an article was published by the Daily Mail in June 2023, in which a close source revealed Stewart’s children were worried about his health and wanted him to retire from the music industry completely, the musician set the record straight. The insider claimed several of Stewart's kids believed it was time for him to “throw in the towel on music” and to focus on his retirement and his family, especially after his third grandchild was born.

Stewart took to his official Instagram account to clarify any confusion and said, "I shall never retire!" The reason why was that he “was put on this earth to be a singer and will keep doing so for as long as the good Lord lets me.”

In July 2023 Stewart proved he's just as passionate about family as he is about music when he brought his older sister Mary onstage in Edinburgh as part of his UK tour. As "Sailing" began, Mary was escorted onstage by one of Stewart's backing singers. Stewart embraced his older sister and proudly told the crowd, "This is my sister! 94," in reference to her age.

The love between Stewart and Mary was palpable, as they embraced and the singer gave her a kiss on her head. They sang the words together, as Stewart draped the Royal Banner of Scotland flag over his sister's shoulders. He even gave Mary a lesson in conducting the band behind them, to which the crowd erupted in cheers. Stewart told The Mirror:

“At 94, she’s on a rock’n’roll stage and loving it. She has and continues to teach me about life.”

Having his sister at the Edinburgh leg of his tour was especially poignant because of their family's Scottish roots. Born to Robert Stewart and Elsie Gilbart, all of the rock star's four siblings were born in Scotland before the family relocated to London, where he was later born.

Apart from Mary, Stewart had another sister named Peggy who tragically died in 1975 from multiple sclerosis at the age of 40. Meanwhile, the singer lost his two brothers within months of each other in 2022. Don passed away in September 2022 at the age of 94, while Bob was 88 and died two months later. Stewart shared his grief with the world at the time:

“It’s with great sadness that I announce the loss of my brother Bob last night, who joins my brother Don on the great football pitch in the sky. I’ve lost two of my best mates in two months.”

In 2019, Stewart said of his siblings:

"These guys were instrumental in supporting me, helping me get into music and just being there for me."

Did you know Rod Stewart was such a family man? What did you think of his 94-year-old sister Mary joining him onstage? Let us know, then pass this on to any fans of the musician you know!