NEED TO KNOW
Americana and alt-country singer-songwriter Joe Ely’s legacy will live on through his wife, Sharon Ely, and their daughter, Marie Elena Ely.
Hailing from West Texas, Joe was born on Feb. 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas and raised in Lubbock, Texas. After becoming part of the live music scene in Austin, he became a traveling musician and formed the country trio The Flatlanders in 1972.
Throughout his career, Joe performed with The Clash, Bruce Springsteen and Lyle Lovett, among others. Following the release of his self-titled debut album in 1977, Joe continued to release music over the years, with his most recent album, Love and Freedom, debuting in February 2025.
Away from the stage, he married his wife, Sharon, in 1983, and they welcomed their daughter, Marie.
They were “at his side at their home in Taos, New Mexico,” when Joe died at 78 on Dec. 15, according to a post from his official Instagram account. The artist’s cause of death was attributed to “complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s and pneumonia.”
Here’s everything to know about Joe Ely’s family.
He married his wife Sharon in 1983
joeely_official/Instagram
Joe and Sharon were married on Apr. 17, 1983, according to an Instagram post celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.
They crossed paths in Lubbock, where Sharon revealed that, “From the very beginning, from the first time I met Joe, I was in love.”
She recalled to the Virtual Lubbock in October 2000 that she laid her eyes on him when he was in the middle of playing a “little solo concert” with drums, a guitar and a harmonica.
“Truly, my life changed after that,” Sharon continued. “I was not the same, and I fell madly in love with him. From that point on, everything that I did and everything that I created was focused towards my love for Joe. Period.”
In addition to their personal partnership, Sharon was Joe’s manager. In recent years, she kept fans updated on his health and touring schedule, per Instagram.
They welcomed one child, daughter Marie
joeely_official/Instagram
Joe and Sharon had one child, a daughter, Marie Elena Ely. According to The New York Times, she was named after Buddy Holly’s widow, María Elena Holly.
Marie is a set decorator based in Austin and Los Angeles, per her Instagram.
Marie is married to production designer Christopher Beltran. In November 2025, Christopher posted a sweet tribute to Marie on Instagram, writing, “Happy birthday to my beautiful wife and best friend, sweet Marie!”
Marie is a photographer
joeely_official/Instagram
Apart from her set decorating work, Marie is a photographer whose work has been inspired by the landscapes of West Texas.
“[A lot of my work] is from Marfa,” she told KUT News in December 2013. “I moved there when I stopped going to art school. I mean it’s so beautiful out there. I was very inspired by the landscape … the desert and the light.”
Over the years, Marie and her dad collaborated on projects together. Their work was featured in a 2013 Austin art show, Lostbound Memory, and Marie’s photography was used as the cover art for Joe’s 2015 album, Panhandle Rambler.
Joe made a lullaby album for Marie that he released in 2022
joeely_official/Instagram
In 2022, Joe released Flatland Lullaby, an album that he originally recorded for his daughter in 1984.
According to the Associated Press, the singer spent decades working on the songs, verse by verse, and started recording them at his home studio in Austin around the time Marie was born.
Joe eventually gifted the album to his daughter with a baby photo of her on the cover.
Joe and Sharon were working on new music and a book about his life
Gary Miller/Getty
Joe and Sharon had recently been restoring some of Joe’s original recordings using AI technology.
The first of the remastered tracks, “Raining In My Heart,” was released in September 2025.
“Our story is about how music continues to lift us up,” Sharon said in a statement, per Joe’s website. “Revisiting Joe’s recordings and hearing them brought to life again has given him so much joy, and we want others to feel that same joy too.”
“When Joe first heard the orchestrated version of ‘Raining in My Heart,’ he lit up,” she said in another statement. “It was like hearing the songs reborn, exactly as he had always imagined them.”
It was also noted on the website that Joe and Sharon were working on a book about his life, and they invited fans and friends to submit stories for consideration for inclusion in the collection.
