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Elon Musk is the second most searched name in the United States today, 12 November 2026, as talk of a possible merger between his two companies, Tesla and SpaceX, keeps climbing Google’s trending searches. Musk confirmed on 21 October that the boards of both companies had formed special committees to explore a combination, calling it a good idea while stressing that no deal has been agreed and any proposal would need a shareholder vote. The two companies are worth roughly $3.5 trillion combined. Behind the world’s richest man stands the woman who raised him: his mother, Maye Musk, a 78-year-old model, registered dietitian and bestselling author whose own career spans more than five decades.
Maye Musk was born Maye Haldeman on 19 April 1948 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, a twin and one of five children. She holds Canadian, South African and American citizenship, and she has built a public profile entirely of her own — as the oldest CoverGirl spokesmodel at 69, the oldest Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model at 74, and the author of a memoir translated around the world. This is the story of the woman who raised three entrepreneurs, including the man at the centre of today’s merger talk.
Maye Musk — Quick Reference Profile
| Detail | Fact |
|---|---|
| Full name | Maye Musk (née Haldeman) |
| Date of birth | 19 April 1948 (age 78) |
| Birthplace | Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian, South African and American |
| Primary role | Model, registered dietitian, author |
| Famous anchor | Mother of Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX), Kimbal Musk and Tosca Musk |
| Parents | Joshua Norman Haldeman (chiropractor) and Winnifred “Wyn” Fletcher (dance instructor) |
| Spouse | Errol Musk (m. 1970; div. 1979) |
| Children | Elon (born 1971), Kimbal (born 1972), Tosca (born 1974) |
| Education | Master’s in dietetics, University of the Orange Free State; master’s in nutritional science, University of Toronto; honorary doctorate, University of the Free State (2023) |
| Agency | Creative Artists Agency (CAA) |
| Net worth | Not publicly verified — published estimates conflict and no official figure exists |
| Height | Not publicly verified |
| Social media | @mayemusk on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram |
A Twin from Regina Raised in the Kalahari: Maye Musk’s Adventurous Childhood
Maye Haldeman was born a twin in Regina, Saskatchewan, on 19 April 1948, one of five children of Joshua Norman Haldeman, a Regina chiropractor and amateur archaeologist, and Winnifred “Wyn” Fletcher, a dance instructor from Moose Jaw. Her grandfather, John Elon Haldeman, was the namesake she later passed on to her eldest son. In 1950, when Maye was two, the family moved to Pretoria, South Africa, and two years later her parents flew around the world in a propeller plane.
The Haldemans were famous in their own circle for adventure. For more than ten years the family roamed the Kalahari Desert searching for its fabled Lost City, and her parents gave slide shows and talks about their journeys. Maye started working at about eight, preparing her parents’ monthly bulletins and photocopying newsletters, and by twelve she was working as a receptionist alongside her twin sister for their father. The habit of reinvention that defines her adult life was learned early, in a household that treated the world as somewhere to explore.
From Miss South Africa Finalist to the World’s Oldest Supermodel
Maye began modelling as a teenager in South Africa and was a finalist in the 1969 Miss South Africa competition. She married Errol Musk, a South African engineer she had met in high school, in 1970, and the marriage produced three children before ending in divorce in 1979. As a single mother of three at 31, she kept modelling while building a second career in nutrition, studying dietetics at the University of Pretoria and earning a master’s degree from the University of the Orange Free State, taught in Afrikaans, one of the four languages she speaks.
Her modelling career never stopped. She appeared on boxes of Special K cereal, in Revlon advertisements, in a Beyoncé video (“Haunted”), on the cover of Time magazine for a health issue, and on the cover of New York magazine in 2011. In September 2017, at 69, she became CoverGirl’s oldest spokesmodel, a landmark the brand described as making history. In 2022, at 74, she became the oldest Sports Illustrated swimsuit model to date, appearing on the cover of the annual issue. She is signed with Creative Artists Agency and, since at least 2023, has developed a large following in China, where she appears on billboards and magazine covers and represents at least five major brands.
The Dietitian Who Raised Three Entrepreneurs
Alongside modelling, Maye built a dietetics practice that has run for more than 45 years, and she is registered as a dietitian in three countries — South Africa, Canada and the United States. After her divorce she moved to Canada in 1989 with her daughter Tosca, six months after Elon had moved there himself. She later earned a second master’s degree in nutritional science from the University of Toronto, and in April 2023 the University of the Free State awarded her an honorary doctorate in dietetics for her work in the field.
Her children each built companies of their own: Elon founded Tesla and SpaceX, Kimbal co-founded The Kitchen Restaurant Group, and Tosca founded the streaming service Passionflix. Maye has said she put about $10,000 of her savings behind Elon and Kimbal’s first company, Zip2, in 1995. In 2019 she published her memoir, A Woman Makes a Plan: Advice for a Lifetime of Adventure, Beauty, and Success, which became an international bestseller, following an earlier book, Feel Fantastic — Maye Musk’s Good Health Clinic, published in 1996. She appeared alongside Elon on Saturday Night Live on 8 May 2021, the day before Mother’s Day. She is far from the only celebrity mother to build a public profile of her own: Kris Jenner turned managing her children into an empire of its own, while Lara Stone rebuilt her career after her marriage to David Walliams ended.
What Maye Musk Is Worth — and Why the Figure Stays Blank
No official figure exists for Maye Musk’s personal wealth, and published estimates disagree sharply, which is why her net worth is recorded here as not publicly verified. What is documented is how she earns: decades of modelling fees, campaigns and covers, a dietetics business, speaking engagements around the world, book royalties, and brand deals — including at least five major Chinese brands since 2023.
The distinction matters. The billion-dollar figures attached to the Musk name belong to her son’s companies, not to her. Her own income comes from her own work, built over fifty years in two separate professions, and she has never published a balance sheet. In interviews she has said her greatest achievement was “having three great kids and surviving”.
Maye Musk — Career Milestones
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Born Maye Haldeman in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| 1950 | Family moves to Pretoria, South Africa |
| 1969 | Finalist in the Miss South Africa competition |
| 1970 | Marries Errol Musk; Elon born the following year |
| 1979 | Divorces Errol Musk; raises three children as a single mother |
| 1989 | Moves to Canada with daughter Tosca |
| 1996 | Publishes first book, Feel Fantastic |
| 2017 | Becomes CoverGirl’s oldest spokesmodel at 69 |
| 2019 | Publishes memoir A Woman Makes a Plan |
| 2021 | Appears with Elon on Saturday Night Live |
| 2022 | Oldest Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model at 74 |
| 2023 | Receives honorary doctorate in dietetics; star status grows in China |
| 2026 | Turns 78 as son Elon’s Tesla–SpaceX merger talks trend in the US |
Frequently Asked Questions About Maye Musk
How old is Maye Musk?
Maye Musk is 78. She was born Maye Haldeman on 19 April 1948 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and celebrated her 78th birthday on 19 April 2026.
Who are Maye Musk’s children?
She has three children from her marriage to Errol Musk: Elon Musk, born in 1971; Kimbal Musk, born in 1972; and Tosca Musk, born in 1974. All three are entrepreneurs.
What is Maye Musk’s net worth?
Her net worth is not publicly verified. Published estimates conflict widely, and no official figure has ever been disclosed. Her income comes from modelling, dietetics, books and brand deals — not from her son’s companies.
Is Maye Musk still modelling at 78?
Yes. She is signed with Creative Artists Agency and continues to appear in campaigns, on magazine covers and at speaking events around the world, with a large following in China since 2023.
What did Maye Musk study?
She earned a master’s degree in dietetics from the University of the Orange Free State in South Africa and a second master’s in nutritional science from the University of Toronto. In April 2023 she received an honorary doctorate in dietetics from the University of the Free State.
Is it true Maye Musk funded Elon Musk’s first company?
She has said she put about $10,000 of her savings behind Elon and Kimbal’s first company, Zip2, in 1995. That was her own money, from her own work — not a family fortune.
