Maye Musk: who is Elon Musk's mother as Martha Stewart takes title of oldest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model

Maye Musk, the mother of Elon Musk, has had the title of the oldest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model taken from her following the announcement that Martha Stewart had made it on to the cover at the age of 81. Musk had previously been the oldest when, last year, she graced the cover when she was 74.

Musk recently shared a glimpse into the younger years of the controversial Twitter CEO’s life after posting some throwback pictures on Instagram to mark Mother’s Day over in the US.

Posting the pictures, Musk wrote: “#HappyMothersDay to all mothers. I am the happiest and luckiest mom in the world, and maybe Mars [winking emoji]. We laugh a lot and support each other, a lot! [love heart emojis]. @kimbalmusk @toscamusk #ElonMusk Elon doesn’t have an Instagram account. Sorry to disappoint the followers who have loving messages from his numerous fake accounts.” 

This is everything you need to know about Musk.  

Who is Maye Musk?

Musk is a model and dietitian who has been modelling since she was 15 and, over the course of her career, has appeared on the covers of magazines like Time, Vogue and Sports Illustrated. 

She was born Maye Haldeman on 19 April 1948, in Saskatchewan, Canada, to parents Winnifred Josephine and Joshua Norman Haldeman. She was one of five children. Growing up, every June or July every year for about a decade, Musk and her family trawled the Kalahari desert searching for the fabled Lost City.

Speaking to CNBC Make It in 2020, Musk said: “Can you imagine doing that? I mean, it’s crazy. But [my parents] were adventurous and we went across this desert.” 

In 1969, Musk was a finalist in the Miss South Africa beauty competition, with her modelling career continuing to grow in America and Canada, appearing on boxes of Special K and in campaigns for brands like Target and Virgin America. She became the oldest spokesmodel for CoverGirl in 2017 at the age of 69. 

As well as modelling, Musk also runs a business as a dietitian. She originally earned a degree in dietetics from the University of the Orange Free State in South Africa and went on to get another master’s degree in nutritional science from the University of Toronto. 

Her official website states: “Maye has started her nutrition business in eight cities and three countries through speaking, consulting, counselling, writing and media work. She has reached the peak in her field in South Africa, Canada and the United States as the first Representative of the Consulting Dietitians of Southern Africa; President of the Consulting Dietitians of Canada; and Chair of the Nutrition Entrepreneurs, Academy of Dietetics and Nutrition. She also won the Outstanding Nutrition Entrepreneur Award in the USA. 

“She was the first dietitian to be featured on a cereal box with her book, Feel Fantastic, published in 1996 and now out-of-print.”

Who are her children?

Musk has three children with her ex husband Errol Musk, whom she married in 1946 after the two originally met in high school. The two later divorced in 1979. 

Their children are:

• Elon Musk (born on 28 June 1971), best known as the CEO of companies like Twitter, Tesla, SpaceX and the co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI  
• Kimbal Musk (20 September 19720), a restaurateur and chef who owns The Kitchen Restaurant Group
• Tosca Musk (20 July 1974), a film producer and director who also co-founded a streaming service called Passionflix