Neil Young's 3 Children: All About Zeke, Ben and Amber

Mar. 15, 2025

Neil Young and his daughter Amber at the 40th Annual Juno Awards for Canadian Music in Toronto, Canada on March 27, 2011.Photo:Warren Toda/EPA/Shutterstock

Warren Toda/EPA/Shutterstock

Neil Young’s three children Zeke, Ben and Amber Young, are the light of his life.

Neil and Snodgress split in 1975, and the musician started a relationship with singer Pegi Young, whom he married in 1978. When their first child, Ben, was born that same year, he was also diagnosed with cerebral palsy. As Neil toldRolling Stonein 1988, “The doctors said, ‘There’s no connection between [Zeke and Ben’s conditions] at all. It’s a fluke that both have cerebral palsy.’ ”

Becoming a father to two children with special needs changed Neil’s priorities. “I became much more involved in family, taking care of the family, making sure the family was secure,” he toldRolling Stone.

Zeke and Ben also changed his outlook on hardship. As he toldNick Newsin 1994, “There are so many kids with challenges that are so great, and yet they just keep trying. If I come up against something that’s hard to deal with, I can handle it.”

Neil and Pegi welcomed another child, Amber Jean Young, in 1984, before splitting in 2014. The rocker has since married actress Daryl Hannah.

Keep reading to learn more about Neil Young’s three kids, Zeke, Ben and Amber.

Zeke Young, 52

Zeke Young, Ben Young and Neil Young attend the ‘Paradox’ premiere during the SXSW Conference and Festivals on March 15, 2018 in Austin, Texas.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Neil and Snodgress welcomed Zeke on Sept. 8, 1972.

According to the “Heart of Gold” singer, he and Snodgress noticed early on that Zeke’s right foot “seemed extended and he could not straighten out his ankle.”

“His right hand was also held in a different position from his left, and he did not have the same control of it,” Neil wrote in the book.

Zeke was eventually diagnosed with what Neil toldRolling Stonewas “very mild cerebral palsy” after experiencing a grand mal seizure. Neil and Snodgress broke up around the same period in 1975, and Zeke split his time between his mother’s and father’s households.

Later on, according to Neil, Zeke began to thrive at the Morning Sky School in Mountain Center, Calif. “Zeke came out of there a changed man,” he wrote.

Neil’s elder son also began to work: In addition to sound department credits on films such asSometimes They Come Back … AgainandTerminal Justice, Zeke worked at Home Depot as of 2012, according toThe New York Times.

By 2012, Neil and Zeke had grown “very close.” He wrote: “When I look at him, I admire him for the wonderful man he has grown up to be, handling himself so beautifully, and I feel very proud."

Ben Young

Pegi Young, Neil Young and Ben Young attend the 30th Annual Bridge School Benefit concert on October 22, 2016, in Mountain View, California.Steve Jennings/WireImage

Steve Jennings/WireImage

Neil and his then-wife Pegi welcomed son Ben in 1978.

Unlike his big brother, who has a milder form of cerebral palsy, Ben was born with what Neil toldRolling Stoneis “severe cerebral palsy.”

The rocker emphasized that Ben was a “wonderful little human being” from early on. “His soul is there, and I’m sure that he has an outlook on the world that we don’t have because of the disabilities,” he said.

In 1986, Ben’s struggles in his learning program inspired Neil and Pegi to openThe Bridge School, which teaches students with severe disabilities to communicate better.

The project became a great source of joy for the pair. “[It’s] a huge train set that he controls with buttons and stuff,” Neil explained toRolling Stone. “He’s learning how to communicate and play games and solve problems using a computer.”

Ben graduated from Half Moon Bay High School in 1998. One year later, he started a chicken farm on his family’s ranch, perSFGate.

Ben also faithfully accompanied his father on tour for many years as his confidant. “He’s our spiritual leader in that way,” Neil toldThe New York Timesin 2012. “We take him everywhere.” Neil added: “I tell Ben everything, and he listens. He knows everything.”

In 2018, the father and son hit the red carpet together with Neil’s wife Hannah for the premiere of the couple’s film,Paradox.According to Neil, Ben has taught him to “have faith and belief and inner strength and to never give up.”

Amber Jean Young

Neil Young, Pegi Young and their daughter Amber at the 22nd Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards.Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Neil and Pegi waited six years before having their second child together, Amber Jean Young, in 1984.

According to theCanadian Broadcasting Corporation, like her father, Amber has epilepsy, a neurological disorder that causes unprovoked, recurring seizures.

Weeks after Amber’s birth, Neil began playing a tribute song to her in his concerts titled “Amber Jean” that included the lyrics, “Amber Jean, oh Amber Jean, prettiest eyes I’ve ever seen.” (The track was later included in 2011’s live album,A Treasure.)

Neil opened up about his only daughter toRolling Stonein 1988, saying, “My third child, Amber, is just a little flower, growing like a little flower should.”

According to the California-based artist, her early days, which were spent on Broken Arrow Ranch near Kings Mountain, Calif., were filled with art. “I took art classes in preschool and that started me on a path that I never diverged from,” she toldPalo Alto Onlinein 2022.

After attending high school in San Francisco, Amber attended Kenyon College in Ohio before earning her master’s degree at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she studied painting.

Neil and Pegi were extremely supportive of their daughter, featuring her work on both of their album covers and jackets, per Amber’swebsite. “Not a lot of people get the level of encouragement I received,” she told Palo Alto Online.

At first, she worked with mixed media, including textiles and quilts. “My mother was an avid collector of textiles, including Navajo weaving, baskets, Persian rugs and lace,” Amber told Palo Alto Online. Her art underwent a transformation afterPegi died of ovarian cancerin January 2019.

In March 2022, Amber held a month-long solo painting exhibit at Bryant Street Gallery in Palo Alto, Calif., titled “Pegi’s Garden” in honor of her late mother.

It also gave her an outlet for her grief. After calling her mother every day throughout her illness, Amber told Palo Alto Online that painting with color “helped me move through the grief of her passing. It shored me up and tricked my brain into feeling good.”

The exhibit raised more than $14,000 for the OCRA after matched donations from Pegi’s siblings.

In addition to her art, Amber has a support system in her family: Pegi and Neil were present when she married investment banker Rajib Chowdhury in San Francisco in 2013, according to theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Amber and Chowdhury later welcomed two children together, Ronan and Aliyah.

The couple celebrated their 10-year anniversary in June 2023. Amber shared a sweetInstagram tributeto her husband at the time, writing, “This man is a hero. The last decade has been chaotic in both wonderful and horrible ways, but through all the madness and two children my husband Capricorned it up and kept the family on track and moving forward. I’m forever grateful to be on this journey with Rajib. He’s exactly what I need."

source: people.com