William Mebarak Chadid may not carry the global fame of his daughter, but his life story is just as remarkable. Best known as the father of Colombian superstar Shakira, William is a writer, former journalist, businessman, and devoted family man whose Lebanese heritage and personal resilience shaped one of the world’s most beloved artists. From his birth in New York City to his decades in Barranquilla, Colombia, his journey blends migration, culture, hardship, and love. This article explores William Mebarak Chadid’s early life, career, family, health struggles, and lasting legacy, offering a complete and up-to-date look at the man behind the music icon.
Who Is William Mebarak Chadid?
William Mebarak Chadid is widely recognized as the father of Shakira, the Grammy-winning “Queen of Latin Music.” Beyond that title, he is an author, former radio announcer, literature teacher, jeweler, and insurance agent who built a rich and varied career of his own. Born to Lebanese immigrant parents, he grew up navigating two cultures, an experience that later influenced his daughter’s music and worldview. While he has largely stayed out of the spotlight, his presence has been a constant thread throughout Shakira’s public life, appearing at award shows, in interviews, and in some of her most personal song lyrics.
Early Life and Family Background
William Mebarak Chadid was born on September 6, 1931, in New York City, United States, into a family of Lebanese descent. His parents had recently arrived in America seeking new opportunities, carrying with them centuries of Lebanese tradition, faith, and culture. Although born on American soil, William’s early childhood was shaped almost entirely by his family’s immigrant identity. This dual heritage—American birth combined with Lebanese ancestry—would later evolve into a third cultural layer once the family relocated to South America, ultimately giving William a multicultural identity that few people in his generation experienced so directly.
Lebanese Roots and Migration to Colombia
When William was just five years old, his family made the life-changing decision to move to Barranquilla, Colombia, a coastal city that would become his lifelong home. This migration mirrored a broader wave of Lebanese emigration to Latin America during the early twentieth century, as many families sought stability and economic opportunity abroad. Growing up in Barranquilla exposed William to Colombian traditions, Spanish language, and Caribbean culture, all of which blended with the Lebanese customs practiced at home. This fusion of identities became a defining trait, one he would later pass down through storytelling, music appreciation, and cultural pride within his own household.
William Mebarak Chadid’s Parents and Heritage
William’s parents, Alberto Mebarak Spath and Isabel Chadid Baizer, were both of Lebanese origin and instilled strong values of faith, discipline, and family unity in their son. Raised in the Catholic faith and educated in Catholic schools, William absorbed a worldview centered on respect, resilience, and community responsibility. His Lebanese ancestry is significant not only to his personal identity but also to Shakira’s artistic direction, as Arabic musical influences and dance styles later appeared in several of her most famous songs. Understanding William’s heritage helps explain why cultural fusion became such a natural and authentic part of his daughter’s global appeal.
Education and Early Career
Detailed records of William Mebarak Chadid’s formal education remain limited, but available accounts confirm he pursued literature and language studies that shaped his later writing career. He developed a genuine passion for storytelling early in life, a passion that stayed with him well into old age. Rather than settling into a single profession, William explored multiple fields, reflecting both curiosity and the practical need to support a large family. His early working years combined intellectual pursuits with hands-on jobs, a balance that would define much of his professional life across several decades in Barranquilla and beyond.
Professional Life: Journalist, Radio Announcer, and Businessman
Throughout his career, William Mebarak Chadid held an unusually diverse range of jobs. He worked as a radio announcer and journalist, sharpening his storytelling and communication skills. He later became a literature professor, sharing his love of language with students. Outside academia, he worked as a jeweler, an insurance agent, and even a health visitor within his community. This wide-ranging résumé shows a man unwilling to be confined to one identity. Each role contributed something to his character—discipline from teaching, empathy from healthcare work, and creativity from journalism—all qualities later reflected in his daughter’s artistry.
First Marriage: Lucila Mebarak and Nine Children
Before marrying Shakira’s mother, William Mebarak Chadid was married to Lucila Mebarak, with whom he had nine children: Edward, Ana, Lucy, José Antonio, Alberto, Tonino, Patricia, Moises, and Robin. Raising such a large family required enormous dedication, and William balanced fatherhood with his many professional responsibilities. This first chapter of his family life laid the emotional groundwork for the household values he would later bring into his second marriage. Despite the eventual end of this marriage, William remained connected to his children, many of whom continue to appear alongside Shakira during family gatherings and public celebrations.
Tragedy: Loss of His Eldest Son
One of the most painful chapters in William Mebarak Chadid’s life was the loss of his eldest son, who died at just 19 years old in a motorcycle accident. This tragedy deeply affected the entire family, including a young Shakira, who was reportedly inspired to write the emotional song “Tus Gafas Oscuras” at only nine years old in response to her father’s grief. The loss illustrates how deeply intertwined William’s personal hardships became with his daughter’s artistic expression, showing that even in sorrow, his family found a way to transform pain into meaningful creative work.
Second Marriage: Nidia Ripoll Torrado
Following the end of his first marriage, William Mebarak Chadid married Nidia del Carmen Ripoll Torrado, a Colombian painter with Catalonian and Italian roots. Their union blended William’s Lebanese-American background with Nidia’s artistic Colombian heritage, creating a home rich in creativity, culture, and emotional warmth. Nidia’s influence as a painter complemented William’s love of literature, and together they built a household that valued both discipline and self-expression. This second marriage would soon produce the couple’s only child together, a daughter whose talents would eventually reach every corner of the globe.
The Birth of Shakira
On February 2, 1977, William and Nidia welcomed their daughter, Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, in Barranquilla, Colombia. From her earliest years, Shakira grew up surrounded by her father’s poetry, storytelling, and Lebanese cultural traditions, alongside her mother’s artistic sensibilities. William often described watching his daughter’s early curiosity about music and language, encouraging her to explore both freely. This nurturing environment, shaped heavily by William Mebarak Chadid’s own multicultural upbringing, became the foundation upon which one of the most successful music careers in Latin American history was eventually built.
William Mebarak Chadid’s Role in Shakira’s Career
William Mebarak Chadid was far more than a supportive parent; he actively helped guide Shakira’s earliest steps into the music industry. He introduced her to local radio stations, encouraged her to perform publicly, and helped her navigate the challenges of the entertainment business as a child. His steady, gentle encouragement gave Shakira the confidence to pursue music professionally at a young age. Many biographers note that without William’s early belief in his daughter’s talent, Shakira’s path toward international stardom might have looked very different, making him a quiet but essential architect of her success.
Introducing Shakira to Poetry and Storytelling
Shakira has repeatedly credited her father with introducing her to poetry and storytelling, skills that later became central to her songwriting. She has spoken fondly of watching him type on an old typewriter, an image that stayed with her as inspiration for her own creative discipline. This early exposure to language and narrative structure helped Shakira develop the emotionally driven, story-based lyrics that define much of her discography. William Mebarak Chadid’s love of the written word essentially became the first songwriting lesson his daughter ever received, long before she wrote a single hit record.
Al Viento y Al Azar: His Published Book
In 2011, William Mebarak Chadid published his own book, Al Viento y Al Azar (In the Wind and at Random), a collection of personal essays and love stories reflecting his life experiences. Shakira herself helped edit the manuscript and later praised her father’s raw honesty, describing being captivated by the book’s rebellious tone and unconventional structure. The book offered readers a rare glimpse into William’s inner thoughts, philosophy, and emotional depth. It stands as tangible proof of his lifelong passion for writing, cementing his identity not just as a father, but as a genuine literary voice in his own right.
Influence on Shakira’s Music and Arabic Heritage
Shakira has openly acknowledged that her father’s Lebanese background directly shaped several aspects of her music, most notably the Arabic verse featured in her 1998 hit “Ojos Así.” This blending of Middle Eastern rhythms with Latin pop reflects the same cultural fusion William experienced growing up between Lebanon and Colombia. His heritage gave Shakira access to a unique sound palette that set her apart from other Latin artists of her generation. In many ways, William Mebarak Chadid’s identity became a musical bridge, connecting Arabic tradition with Latin American pop culture on a global stage.
Father-Daughter Bond: Public Moments
Shakira and her father share a famously close relationship, often documented through heartfelt social media posts and public appearances. She frequently refers to him as her “soft spot” and credits him with teaching her resilience during difficult times, including her high-profile separation from footballer Gerard Piqué. Their bond has remained a consistent, grounding presence throughout Shakira’s career, regardless of her global fame. Fans have watched this relationship evolve over decades, from early childhood photographs to emotional tributes shared during William’s various health challenges, reinforcing just how central family remains to Shakira’s public and private identity.
The 2011 Latin Grammy Tribute
One of the most emotional public moments came at the 2011 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year ceremony, when William Mebarak Chadid joined his daughter on stage to sing “Mi Niña Bonita,” a lullaby he used to sing to her as a child. The heartfelt performance moved audiences worldwide and remains one of the most cherished father-daughter moments in Latin music history. It captured, in a single performance, everything William represented in Shakira’s life: comfort, tradition, and unconditional love, delivered through the very art form he had passed down to her decades earlier.
Health Challenges in Recent Years
As William Mebarak Chadid entered his nineties, his health became a recurring source of public concern. Shakira has been open about these struggles, frequently updating fans and expressing gratitude for his resilience. His journey through multiple hospitalizations reflects both the fragility of advanced age and the remarkable strength he has shown time and again, recovering from setbacks that would challenge anyone. These health episodes have also highlighted the family’s closeness, with Shakira repeatedly pausing her career commitments to be near her father during critical moments.
2022 Fall and COVID-19
In May 2022, William suffered a serious fall in Barcelona that required hospitalization, occurring around the same time he also contracted COVID-19. Shakira publicly thanked fans for their support, describing how she helped her father with cognitive exercises during recovery. This period marked one of the first widely reported health scares involving William, drawing significant media attention worldwide.
2023 Hydrocephalus Surgery
In June 2023, William underwent surgery at Serena del Mar Hospital in Cartagena, Colombia, after being diagnosed with hydrocephalus, requiring the implantation of a shunt valve. This procedure represented a more serious medical intervention, underscoring the ongoing health complications tied to his advanced age and prior injuries.
2024 Pneumonia Hospitalization
In June 2024, William Mebarak Chadid was hospitalized in Barranquilla after being diagnosed with pneumonia, requiring intensive care observation. Despite the severity of the illness, he recovered, once again demonstrating the resilience that Shakira has often praised publicly.
2025–2026 Health Scares
Throughout 2025 and 2026, further health scares emerged, including reports of a serious episode in May 2026 that reportedly delayed the start of Shakira’s massive free concert in Rio de Janeiro. While some reports were later clarified or exaggerated, William’s fragile health at 94 years old has remained a genuine and ongoing concern for the family.
Net Worth and Lifestyle
William Mebarak Chadid’s net worth is estimated at around $1 million, built primarily through his varied career as a journalist, teacher, jeweler, and author rather than through his daughter’s fame. He has largely maintained a private, modest lifestyle, avoiding the extravagance often associated with celebrity families. Shakira, by contrast, has an estimated net worth in the hundreds of millions, and she ensures her parents are well cared for. William’s financial modesty reflects his personal values, prioritizing family, creativity, and community involvement over material wealth throughout his long life.
William Mebarak Chadid’s Legacy
William Mebarak Chadid’s legacy extends far beyond being known simply as “Shakira’s father.” He is remembered as a storyteller, a devoted parent to ten children, and a man who navigated migration, career changes, and personal tragedy with remarkable grace. His cultural fusion of Lebanese heritage and Colombian upbringing directly shaped one of the most influential musical careers of the modern era. Whether through his published book, his radio work, or the countless private lessons he passed on to his children, William’s influence continues to ripple outward, proving that meaningful legacies are built through character rather than fame alone.
Lessons from His Life Journey
The life of William Mebarak Chadid offers valuable lessons about resilience, adaptability, and the quiet power of parental guidance. His willingness to work across multiple careers, raise a large family through hardship, and maintain creative passions late into life demonstrates that fulfillment often comes from persistence rather than a single defining achievement. His story also shows how cultural heritage, when embraced rather than hidden, can become a source of strength and identity for future generations, exactly as it did for his daughter’s globally celebrated music career.
Conclusion
William Mebarak Chadid’s story is one of migration, resilience, creativity, and deep family devotion. Born in New York to Lebanese immigrants and raised in Barranquilla, Colombia, he built a life defined by diverse careers, a large and loving family, and an enduring passion for storytelling. As the father of global superstar Shakira, his cultural heritage and personal encouragement helped shape one of the most successful musical careers in modern history. Despite facing significant health challenges in recent years, William’s resilience continues to inspire his family and fans alike, ensuring that his legacy as a father, writer, and cultural bridge remains firmly intact.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Who is William Mebarak Chadid? William Mebarak Chadid is a Lebanese-American writer, former journalist, and businessman best known as the father of Colombian singer Shakira.
2. When and where was William Mebarak Chadid born? He was born on September 6, 1931, in New York City, to Lebanese immigrant parents, before his family relocated to Colombia when he was five.
3. How many children does William Mebarak Chadid have? He has ten children in total—nine from his first marriage to Lucila Mebarak, and one daughter, Shakira, from his marriage to Nidia Ripoll Torrado.
4. What book did William Mebarak Chadid write? He authored Al Viento y Al Azar, published in 2011, a collection of personal essays and love stories that Shakira helped edit.
5. How has William Mebarak Chadid influenced Shakira’s music? His Lebanese heritage inspired Arabic musical elements in songs like “Ojos Así,” while his love of poetry shaped Shakira’s storytelling approach to songwriting.
6. What health issues has William Mebarak Chadid faced? He has experienced multiple falls, COVID-19, hydrocephalus requiring surgery, and pneumonia requiring hospitalization, though he has shown consistent resilience through recovery.
7. What is William Mebarak Chadid’s net worth? His estimated net worth is around $1 million, built through his careers in journalism, education, and business rather than his daughter’s earnings.
