- Ricky Nelson’s twins “aged well” at 55 and showed off their beautiful families.
- The brothers spoke out about their not-so-easy life after their father’s death and revealed why they did not speak to their mom for years.
- The Nelson twins also shared how their dad saved their life at the last minute.
Singer Ricky Nelson was a successful recording artist with five kids. Of his children, he had twin sons, Matthew and Gunnar, who followed in his footsteps and became musicians.
Together, the brothers formed the band Nelson, and they thrived, becoming big stars in the early ’90s thanks to support from MTV.
Actor and singer Ricky Nelson posing for a photo on May 17, 1958 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
Matthew and Gunnar shared a video on their Instagram in January 2023 showing them playing a few tunes for their followers. “Nelson 101. How to play Love & Affection…the right way!” the caption read.
The clip showed the famous siblings with long blonde hair playing harmony-laden powerpop sound. Matthew and Gunnar received praise from their beloved fans for aging gracefully at age 55 and looking and sounding like their father.
One Instagram user said, “Aged well. Still a great riff.” Another compared them to the family patriarch, writing, “To this day, I’m still stunned at how much they look like their dad.”
Musicians Gunnar Nelson and Matthew Nelson attend the taping of the television show “Into the Night with Rick Dees” at ABC Television Studios on January 7, 1990 in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
Someone else penned, “Your voices sound just like your dad’s.” “Still as handsome as ever! Love their music,” said one person. Another stated, “Very good! Apples don’t fall too far from the tree.”
Meanwhile, one fan asked, “These guys are still alive? Wow, who knew,” while one other social media user commented, “Had no idea you all were still there.”
Matthew and Gunnar are now married men with families. Matthew is a father of a son, Ozzie, whom he shares with his wife, Kari Ahlstrom. The couple welcomed their child on August 29, 2014.
The proud dad has shown off his child on social media. In 2019, he shared a family picture of him, his spouse, and their son on Instagram wearing costumes.
“Happy Halloween from Matthew, Kari, and Ozzie ‘HotWheels’ day, Nelson,” the family patriarch captioned his post. Another social upload on his account was a picture from January 2022, when he posted a father and son snapshot. Matthew and Ozzie beamed for the photo while in the snow. “It’s a Snow Day in Franklin, TN!” he penned.
Matthew’s brother Gunnar resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Lila Nelson, and her three daughters from a previous relationship. The singer-songwriter has not adopted his spouse’s children, but he lives with them and helps Lila with co-parenting.
Gunnar has also shown off his wife online and celebrated her birthday with a sweet tribute alongside a selfie of the happy couple smiling from ear to ear in November 2019.
The brothers are still in the music scene. In a July 2022 interview, they discussed their new compilation, “Greatest Hits (And Near Misses).”
The siblings have a massive 30-plus-year catalog that includes pop, experimental hard rock, country, and folk music. They said fans mostly know them by their hit debut album, 1990’s “After the Rain.”
Although they attempted with harmony-laden powerpop sound, they failed to fit in with that “hair-metal” scene – even though they had good hair.
“Everybody put us in this category of the hair-metal thing. But the fact was, none of those bands liked us,” Matthew disclosed in the interview.
Following their beloved father’s tragic passing, the twins’ life was not as rosy as everyone believed. They spoke frankly about their challenges and shared how their dad saved their lives.
Rick Nelson pictured with his wife, actress Kristin Harmon, on January 1, 1963 | Source: Getty Images
After Ricky died, his sons decided to kick-start their musical careers. However, achieving that was not easy because their mother, actress Kristin Nelson, was unsupportive of their journey.
Kristin and Ricky were married from 1963 to 1982 and had a messy divorce. Kristin blamed the father of her kids’ hectic concert touring schedule for the dissolution of their marriage and would not accept her part in the separation.
Gunnar Nelson and Matthew Nelson pose backstage during the Paradise Artists Party at the IEBA 2015 Conference – Day 3 on October 13, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee | Source: Getty Images
Hence when her sons developed an interest in music at a young age, she was against it and expressed animosity toward them. She even penned individual letters to them after they graduated from high school, telling her brood they were mistaken if they believed they would become successful in the profession.
The brother opened up about how difficult it was for them to land a recording contract. Many believed Matthew and Gunnar were wealthy since their father was a famous musician. However, they revealed that their father was in immense debt.
To top it off, they said their mother spent their college fund, and then the brothers were left with a mere $26 after everything was paid off.
This left them stranded, sleeping in their car and couch surfing. Therefore, for them to sign a recording deal, it took a lot of work and convincing. Matthew revealed that they landed their deal at Geffen by playing them their music.
The duo had a unique fashion style, which caught the attention of an English stylist who convinced them they needed to invest in their look if they wanted international recognition, and the brothers listened. Their colorful and quirky style, along with their music, left the public wanting more. However, the two are still struggling with getting their mother’s validation.
Matthew, who said his mother “liked vodka,” revealed playing music was hard for him and Gunnar, who described her as a “narcissist.” He explained, “Our mother made it very difficult for us to play music. She said we always reminded her of [Rick], and the business was horrible, and it was ‘going to take you down.'”
Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson pose on a motorbike on January 1, 1990 in London | Source: Getty Images
Meanwhile, Gunnar shared he and his siblings always hoped their mom would come around to congratulate them and admit she was wrong about their path. The pair thought that day had arrived when she asked for tickets for their hometown gig at Los Angeles’ Universal Amphitheater.
The event was significant for the two as their late dad performed there for the last time, so they were overjoyed when their mother showed interest, only to learn she wanted tickets for her housekeeper.
Gunnar Nelson and Matthew Nelson at the 61st Annual Academy Awards Rehearsals at ABC Studios on March 20, 1989 in Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
However, Kristin and her second husband managed to show up for another sold-out show, but they were spotted them leaving the event before it was over. She later told her kids she left because she was unimpressed.
Apart from their strained relationship with their mother, the twins also had to deal with the financial problems their late father left behind.
People assumed Matthew and Gunnar were monied, seeing their father was a musical legend, but Matthew stated that was not the case, “We were like the poor kids in the rich neighborhood. Our dad died, and unfortunately, the truth was, he was over $4 million in debt and we spent years paying that back.”
Gunnar Nelson and Matthew Nelson at the 15th Annual American Music Awards after-party at Chasen’s Restaurant on January 25, 1988 in Beverly Hills, California | Source: Getty Images
In addition to this, Gunnar and Matthew were harshly criticized because they did not follow Hollywood standards. The duo had to put in the extra effort being legacies because people thought they had a leg up financially.
When their father passed away, they described feeling “gut-shot.” They did some soul-searching until they finally decided to live outside his shadow.
Former teen idol Ricky Nelson photographed smiling in a checkered shirt | Source: Getty Images
As opposed to their strained relationship with their mother, Matthew and Gunnar had a somewhat endearing relationship with their father. Unlike his former wife, Ricky supported his sons’ dreams.
Sadly, he never lived long enough to see them succeed and top the music charts. Ricky, who is also a father to Tracy, Sam, and Eric, tragically died in a plane crash en route to a concert on New Year’s Eve in 1985.
The singer and six other passengers were killed in the accident, having chartered his band’s private plane. Ricky was 45 years old when he passed, and his twins were just 18. That day, the boys were supposed to board the aircraft with their father and his band members, but Ricky told them at the last minute that they shouldn’t go with them.
Gunnar Nelson, Ricky Nelson, Tracy Nelson, Kristin Nelson, and Matthew Nelson posing for a portrait on January 1,1968 in Los Angeles, California | Source: Getty Images
Matthew and Gunnar had never been on a DC-3 plane before, and their dad suggested they meet up with him in Alabama and go to his show in Dallas together.
Then he called his kids, and Gunnar said his father sounded different at the end of the line. He told them to fly down to Dallas separately instead, and they would meet there.
Singing sensation Ricky Nelson pictured outdoors on January 1, 1950 | Source: Getty Images
They tried to remind him that they were initially going to ride the plane with him and the band members. But Ricky put his foot down, and the matter was closed.
Gunnar believes his father’s intuition led him to change his mind, adding the rest of the family is like that, and they usually listen to their instincts. If they had been on the plane with their father, they would have suffered the same fate. Matthew and Gunnar’s dad saved their lives.
Twins Matthew Nelson and Gunnar Nelson, with their sister Tracy Nelson, Olympic gold medalist Olga Korbut, and pop singer Ricky Nelson posing for a portrait on January 1, 1976 | Source: Getty Images
Matthew acknowledges that the tragedy of losing their father at a young age, along with the challenges they faced after, including their fractured relationship with their mom, came with a silver lining — it molded them into the kind of men he and his brother are today.
