5 June 2001
Rufus Wainwright has always been equal parts relatable and out of reach, and it’s this precise combination that makes him so captivating. He was born in Rhinebeck, New York, to Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III (Canadian and American folk luminaries, respectively); after his parents’ divorce, he moved to Montréal with his mother and spent the majority of his childhood there, playing piano by age six and becoming a touring musician at 13. He is preternaturally talented and almost overly cultured, steeped in classical music and literature from a young age due to his pedigree and a private-school education.