What Became of Axl Rose (Guns N’ Roses)?

While watching a video of Axl Rose singing Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns N’ Roses’ number one song in1988), I wondered about who the lead singer was, if he had ever married, and what became of his personal life.

When I was younger, I wouldn’t have found his appearance attractive at all.  But watching the video now, when I’m in my 50’s, I find his performance mesmerizing. In the past, I knew nothing at all about him (I had heard the song, but never before seen the video).  I noticed in the video that footage cuts to a girl, and I first felt annoyed by this, as I wished it would focus entirely on the lead singer.   I discovered his name was Axl Rose.

Axel Rose

When I looked up information on him, I found that the girl in the video (top of page) was his girlfriend (later wife) Erin Everly, none other than the daughter of Don Everly of The Everly Brothers (number one vocal group in America during the 1950’s)!

Erin Everly

Don Everly (left) Don Everly

I became intrigued to read more.

Axl met Erin in 1986 when she attended a performance of his.  They dated for four years, while she was a model. Apparently the relationship was already abusive, but Erin stayed in it, thinking he would “get better.”  Erin said in People Magazine,  ”I always believed things would get better.  And I felt sorry for him. I thought I could make [his early childhood suffering] all better.”

In 1990 he drove to Erin’s house one night at 4 AM with a gun in his car, and proposed marriage by saying he would kill himself if they did not get married within 24 hours.  They drove to Las Vegas and were married April 28, 1990.

Erin Everly and Axl Rose

Rose filed for divorce one month later, but then changed his mind.  Erin got pregnant that year, but had a miscarriage. The two separated before the end of 1990, after Erin was put in the hospital from an alleged beating by Rose which started over the cleaning of his CD collection.

The marriage was annulled in January, 1991.  By annulling the marriage, Erin had no claim to any of Rose’s assets, as would have happened in a divorce.  It appears the relationship was violent, bringing an end to Everly’s modeling career.  Quoting Everly’s  New York City modeling agent Faith Kates, in 1987, Everly had to cancel one of her last modeling assignments, a lingerie shoot,  because of cuts and bruises all over her body.  ”She told me [Rose] had dragged her from her apartment and that she had abrasions up and down her body.”

According to Wikipedia,  ”Axl offered Erin half his royalties from Sweet Child O’ Mine, which were significant, on the basis that he could never have written the song without her.  She declined.” (But this doesn’t seem very logical when she later filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against in in 1994 alleging physical abuse, which was settled out-of-court.)

Sweet Child O’ Mine, “Appetite for Destruction” album

Axl met supermodel Stephanie Seymour shortly afterward in 1991, and they dated until 1993.  He tried to be a good father figure to her son, Dylan.  The relationship between Axl and Seymour broke up, also amid accusations and counter-accusations of physical violence.  He was subsequently barred fromseeing Dylan.

Stephanie Seymour

Around this time, Seymour’s lawsuit against Axl subpoenaed Erin to testify.  During the time he was in court with Seymour, in 1994, Erin filed the multi-million dollar lawsuit against Axl.  Both women were claiming phsyical domestic violence.  Both Erin’s and Stephanie’s lawsuits were later settled out-of-court.  Erin has led a very private lifestyle since that time.

Rose has stated repeatedly that he was abused by both his father and step-father.  According to his story in People Magazine, it was sexual abuse at age 2 by his natural father, and childhood beatings by his step-father.  This probably accounts for his angry, abusive behavior in personal relationships.

Quoting Lady Dairhean,  “He himself claimed in a Rolling Stone interview in 1992 that during his childhood he was made to believe that women and sexuality were evil and that due to the violent treatment of his mother by his stepfather he witnessed as an impressionable child, he had been led to believe that domestic violence was the normal way of life. His distraught relationship with Erin inspired him to write the song, “Estranged”, although it was later applied to Stephanie.”

He dropped out of high school at 17, having been a member of the high school chorus.

Currently, Axl Rose lives in Malibu, and is somewhat reclusive, continuing to write songs and tour.  He has dated some other women.  For an extensive list, and photos and interviews with each, see here.

Sasha Volkova

Most recently he was seen several times with Sasha Volkova in 1986.

Axel Rose on Tour in 2007

While Axel never denied using drugs, he “was never known as a heavy drug user.”  He says that since Gun ‘N Roses became successful he has never used any sort of hard drugs.  However, he has been involved with many women who have severe drug and/or alcohol problems. Whenever fans get out-of-control in his concerts, he is known to actually stop the concert to address the problem.

Stephanie Seymour with Husband Peter Brant

Stephanie Seymour now lives with her billionaire husband Peter Brant, who she married in 1995.  They have had three children together.  Their main residence is in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Jack Portman

In 1997, Erin married Atlanta architect Jack Portman III. It’s hard to get current information or pictures on Erin, but there is an interesting forum here.

Madame Monet

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Tags: aging rock musicians, Appetite for Destruction, Axl Rose, Celebrity Gossip, Don Everly, electric guitar, Erin Everly, Guns N' Roses, Jack Portman, Jack Portman III, Peter Brant, rock musicians, Sasha Volkova, Stephanie Seymour, The Everly Brothers

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