10 Photos of Elon Musk's Mother, Maye Musk: Get to Know the Woman Who Raised the World's Richest Man

Maye Musk is widely known as the mother of technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, but she has built a career of her own in both fashion and nutrition. A model and registered dietitian, she has worked across the fashion and health industries for more than five decades.

Although public attention often focuses on her son's business ventures, Musk began modelling long before Elon Musk became one of the world's most prominent technology executives. Her career has included international modelling work, nutrition consulting and public speaking.

Today, she continues to appear in fashion campaigns and attend events around the world while maintaining a presence in the fields of health and lifestyle.

Early Life and Start in Modelling

Maye Musk was born on 19 April 1948 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Her family later moved to Pretoria, South Africa, where she spent most of her childhood. She began modelling at the age of 15 and later became a finalist in the 1969 Miss South Africa competition, according to Vanity Fair.

The experience helped establish her early modelling career while she continued her university studies. During those years she balanced modelling work with academic training, eventually building a second career in nutrition science.

Career in Nutrition and Dietetics

Alongside her work in fashion, Musk pursued higher education in nutrition. She earned a master's degree in dietetics from the University of the Orange Free State in South Africa and later completed another master's degree in nutritional science at the University of Toronto.

She worked for many years as a registered dietitian and operated several private nutrition consulting practices. Her professional work also included serving as president of the Consulting Dietitians of Canada.

Her background in nutrition later became a focus of her public speaking and writing. In 2019 she published the memoir A Woman Makes a Plan, which discusses her career, personal challenges and experiences raising three children.

Raising Elon Musk and His Siblings

Maye Musk married South African engineer Errol Musk in 1970. The couple had three children together: Elon, Kimbal and Tosca. After the couple divorced in 1979, she raised the children largely as a single parent while continuing to work in both modelling and nutrition.

Her children later built careers in different industries. Elon Musk became chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, Kimbal Musk entered the restaurant and food technology sector, and Tosca Musk became a filmmaker and co-founder of the streaming platform Passionflix.

Modelling Career in Later Years

Musk continued modelling throughout much of her life, although her international profile grew significantly in later years. After embracing her natural grey hair, she began appearing in more campaigns and runway shows in her sixties and seventies.

In 2018, she became one of the oldest spokesmodels for the cosmetics brand CoverGirl. The campaign drew attention for featuring a model in her seventies. In 2022, Musk appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue at the age of 74, making her the oldest cover model in the magazine's history.

Recent Public Appearances

Musk remains active professionally in her seventies and continues to travel internationally for modelling work, speaking engagements and public events. In early 2026, she appeared at a population forum in Hong Kong where she discussed family life and demographic trends.

Although she is frequently identified as the mother of Elon Musk, her career has spanned both fashion and nutrition, allowing her to maintain a professional presence independent of her son's business achievements.