From Young Singer to Grammy Winner and Mom of 2

Dionne Warwick’s Childhood

Marie Dionne Warrick was born on Dec. 12, 1940, to Arthur Lee Drinkard and Mancel Warrick. She grew up with a younger sister, Delia “Dee Dee,” and a younger brother, Mancel Jr. Raised in East Orange, New Jersey, she grew up close to her maternal aunt Emily (professionally known as Cissy Houston) and her cousin Whitney.

The Drinkards were a musical family: Her mother sang in the group The Drinkard Singers with Cissy and their siblings, her father sang in church and Dionne herself attended Hartt College of Music in Connecticut.

Dionne Warwick Debuts as a Soloist

While singing back-up vocals on “Mexican Divorce” by The Drifters, her voice caught the attention of the song’s composer, Burt Bacharach, who asked her to sing vocals on demos of his songs. An executive of Scepter Records urged Bacharach to sign Dionne after hearing her version of a demo.

She released her debut album Presenting Dionne Warwick in 1963, and in the first few years of her career, landed major hits like “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “Walk on By,” which established her as an artist.

Dionne Warwick Wins a Grammy

After three prior Grammy nominations for “Walk on By,” “Alfie” and “I Say a Little Prayer,” Warwick won her first trophy in 1969 with “Do You Know the Way to San Jose.”

The singer went on to win five more Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 for her decorated 60-year career.

Dionne Warwick and ‘That’s What Friends Are For’

The biggest hit of Warwick’s career came in 1985, when she teamed up with Bacharach for the first time since the ’70s to record the benefit single “That’s What Friends Are For” for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR). The song, which featured Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and won Warwick her fifth Grammy.

“Elizabeth [Taylor] felt the song could be an anthem to help get the point across about the need for help, and also to help get amFAR up and running,” Warwick recalled to PEOPLE in 2019.

Dionne Warwick’s AIDS Activism

One of the first celebrities to help raise awareness for AIDS during the early days of the epidemic, Warwick has continued to work tirelessly as an activist in the fight for a cure. In 1987, she was appointed an honorary ambassador of health to help with public outreach by former President Ronald Reagan, and in her 2010 autobiography, she said she was the one who got him to say “AIDS” at a press conference.

“We lost so many people, especially within our industry, hairdressers, makeup people, cameramen, lighting people, so many in the areas that revolved around my profession,” she told PEOPLE of the disease. “I will continue to do my part as long as it’s around.”

Dionne Warwick and Her Cousin Whitney Houston

She remained close to her maternal first cousin, Whitney Houston, throughout their successful careers. When Whitney tragically died at age 48 in February 2012, Warwick paid tribute to her late relative on Good Morning America a month later.

“I spoke to her that afternoon once I landed in L.A.,” Warwick recalled of Whitney, whom she called “the little girl I never had.”

She continued, “She was so up and ready and happy. She had everything in the world to live for. She had a new film that was an absolute dream to make and do. She was getting ready to go back into the studio to record. She was getting her vocals together.”

Remembering her legendary cousin 10 years after her death, the singer told PEOPLE: “She had a presence that is still very much with us. Her music, her sound, her voice, that is her legacy.”

Dionne Warwick and Her 2 Sons, David and Damon

Warwick shared two sons with her late ex-husband, actor and jazz musician William Elliott: David, born in 1969, and Damon, born in 1973, who both followed her footsteps into the music industry. David co-wrote a song for Luther Vandross, which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Rhythm and Blues Song, while Damon — a Grammy winner and Academy Award nominee — has worked with the likes of Beyoncé and Pink.

On the Jesus Calling podcast in 2023, Damon opened up about how his mom remained present as a parent and how she separated her stardom from motherhood.

“Growing up, Mom never missed a softball game, never missed a tennis game,” said Damon. “She was always there at the end of me and my brother getting in trouble, meaning that she was always right there to catch us.”

He added, “She said, ‘You know, you might see me on TV, you might see me onstage under these lights, and people might go a little goo-ga over me, you know, but I’m your mommy and I’ll always be your mommy.’ ”

Dionne Warwick’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction

She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024 alongside Jimmy Buffett, rock band MC5 and late songwriter Norman Whitfield. Teyana Taylor introduced her to the stage, where Warwick performed “I’ll Never Love This Way Again” with Jennifer Hudson.

During her acceptance speech, she remarked that it was her third time as a candidate for induction, and “they finally got it right.”

Dionne Warwick’s Life Now

Warwick continues to perform, presenting her latest show “Don’t Make Me Over” at New York City’s Apollo Theater in June 2025. She was also set to appear at London’s Soul Town Festival in September but had to withdraw as she recovered from emergency leg surgery.

She’s also active on social media, with an X account that regularly goes viral for her unfiltered, humorous takes and replies.