Bruce Springsteen fans have been paying tribute to the singer’s Bay Ridge-born mother, who died Jan. 31 at the age of 98 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Adele Springsteen, formerly Zerilli, was born in 1925 and lived in a home on Bay Ridge Parkway as a child before relocating to Freehold, New Jersey.
Her childhood home, now the site of a graphic design business, is located on Bay Ridge’s sole historic district, nicknamed Doctors’ Row. The block’s 54 homes were approved for landmarking in June 2019.
The Boss announced his mother’s death on his website Wednesday, quoting lyrics from his song “The Wish,” which is dedicated to Adele and how she saved up to buy a seven-year-old Bruce his first guitar.
“I’ve got my hot rod down on Bond Street. I’m older but you’ll know me in a glance. We’ll find us a little rock ‘n roll bar and we’ll go out and dance,” Springsteen posted alongside a video of the pair dancing together at home.
Fans of Springsteen will know Adele best from the many times she was pulled up on stage to dance alongside the Dancing in the Dark singer, videos of which have been widely shared online since her passing.
Council Member Justin Brannan led the tributes out of Bay Ridge for the former Brooklynite, telling Brooklyn Paper: “It’s safe to say: there’s no Bruce Springsteen without Bay Ridge.”
“Adele’s journey started in Bay Ridge like so many other immigrant families before and since. This is where she learned those bedrock Brooklyn values where family comes first, hard work is rewarded, you stand up for what you believe and treat everyone with dignity and respect along the way,” Brannan said. “Adele raised one hell of a son and it all started on 75th Street.”
Member of the E Street Band Steven Van Zandt described Adele as “an unrelenting source of inspiring positive energy.”
“One of a kind. She will always be there for us. Dancing in the audience,” Van Zandt posted on X.
