From Child Explorer to Oldest Cover Model: Here’s What You Didn’t Know About Elon Musk’s Mom

There’s hardly anyone in the tech industry who isn’t impressed by the many achievements of Elon Musk, who founded PayPal, SpaceX and Tesla among many other successful ventures, which makes one wonder about his family background and upbringing.

Well, they say that behind every successful man is a woman, and the woman behind Musk’s success is none other than his own mother, Maye Musk.

The woman behind Elon Musk’s success

While he might be the superstar of his family now, the Tesla CEO isn’t the only Musk who has enjoyed fame and success. Before Elon, Maye was a superstar in her own rights, cementing her status as a holistic health expert, motivational speaker, and a model.

While her work might not be as captivating as colonizing another planet or building hyperloop tunnels, Maye’s has lived a fabulous life filled with big achievements including her appearance on several magazine covers, becoming the oldest Covergirl model in history.

But there’s still very little known about Maye’s background and the life she enjoys as the mother of tech industry’s biggest innovator. Here are some facts about her that you probably didn’t know before:

Oldest CoverGirl model in history

Humble Origins

While Musk enjoys a life of luxury today, the model didn’t have it easy while growing up. Born and raised in Canada, Maye is among her parent’s five kids, all of whom have a keen sense of adventure. Her parents love for travelling took the family from Canada to South Africa where they decided to settle indefinitely.

Maye started working really early, having been recruited as a receptionist in her father’s chiropractic clinic. At 15, she handed in her resignation and set out on building a career in the world of fashion, winning several beauty pageants and opportunities to model for big brands like Colgate.

Maye was still in high school when she met Elon’s father, Errol Musk. The two fell in love and got married, only to end their relationship with divorce nice years later. During their time together, Musk gave birth to three beautiful kids, Kimbal, Tosca and Elon.

Elon isn’t Maye’s only child

In 1970, she married Errol Musk, a South African engineer she met in high school. During the ’70s, they had three kids – Elon, Kimbal, and Tosca – before getting divorced nine years later.