TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Former Tucson Police Chief Peter Ronstadt, brother to famed Tucson singer Linda Ronstadt, has died. He was 82.
Ronstadt became the chief of police in 1981, after serving on the force since 1963. He retired in 1992.
Prior to his time in law enforcement, he was a musician like his sister, Linda.
While attending Catalina High School, he fronted the band Pete Ronstadt and The Nightbeats, which released several singles, including "Sea of Love" and "Lonesome Road Rock," on Zoom Records.
He also formed a trio dubbed the New Union Ramblers with Linda and another sister, Suzy.
"(Linda) would be around, you know, messing around and we would tell her, 'Get lost kid! this is serious business,'" Ray Lindstrom, who co-founded Zoom Records, told KGUN anchor Pat Parris in February. "Well, that was my first mistake."
Ronstadt would later in life make an appearance on Linda's 1987 mariachi album, "Canciones de Mi Padre," which, to date, has sold more than 2 million copies.
"(I) had a chance to do a little singing with my sister Linda over the years, and am probably the only cop in America to have a gold album," Pete wrote on a website for Catalina High School alumni.
