Celebrities in Arizona: These famous people live in Phoenix

Rock stars, bestselling authors and Olympians are just some of the celebrities who call metro Phoenix home.

And it’s not just snowbirds, either: musicians like Alice Cooper and David Ellefson (of Megadeth) have started nonprofits here that foster music education for young people.

The valley was also the birthplace of the successful young adult book series that brought fresh blood to the vampire genre in the late 2000s and 2010s. The author of “Twilight”, Stephenie Meyer, who grew up in Scottsdale and still lives in the area with her family, even gave Arizona a spotlight during a high-speed superhuman car chase in her latest book, Midnight Sun.

here are other celebrities and famous people who live in metro phoenix. we will update this list periodically.

celebrities az:here are the most followed Arizonans on instagram

frankie muñiz

Frankie Muniz, best known for playing the title character on the television show “Malcolm in the Middle,” has bought and sold properties in the Phoenix metro area in the 13 years he’s lived here. Most recently, in late 2020, he and his wife Paige moved from their downtown Phoenix residence to a home elsewhere in the valley that they said would be safer for their son, due in March.

Frankie Muniz Q&A: Why is Arizona home to Paige and Frankie Muniz?

michael phelps

Swimmer Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 medals, and his family live in Paradise Valley. He and his wife Nicole,who have three sons together, appear to be fond of the area; they quietly married in Paradise Valley in 2016.

stephenie meyer

prolific author stephenie meyer (“twilight” series, “the hostess”, “chemistry”) is a chaparral high school graduate who grew up in scottsdale, the inspiration for the protagonist bella swan, a native of phoenix , and property records show that she still lives in metro phoenix.

Famous authors from AZ:Stephenie Meyer, Clive Cussler, and J.A. jance: arizona authors you should know

bret michaels

poison frontman bret michaels is a longtime scottsdaleer. In November, he listed his resort-style home for more than $3 million.

alicia cooper

Hall of Fame rock star Alice Cooper, born Vincent Furnier, moved to Phoenix as a child and currently lives in Paradise Valley. The Cortez High School alumnus does charitable work in the Valley through organizations such as his Solid Rock Teen Center, whose goal is to “provide a landing place for all teens.”

more:catching up with alice cooper, who is home with her family in arizona after postponing her tour

david ellefson

Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, whose non-profit David Ellefson Youth Music Foundation raises funds for “underprivileged and underfunded private and public music programs,” lives in Scottsdale.

more:megadeth’s david ellefson offers free music lessons to children displaced by coronavirus

kurt warner

Pro Football Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, who played quarterback with the St. Louis Rams, the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Giants, lives with his family in Phoenix.

danica patrick

The famous race car driver, who has expanded her skill set to winemaking, has made Scottsdale her home.

lauren and arie luendyk jr.

Arie Luendyk Jr., his wife Lauren and their daughter Alessi live in Scottsdale. The Luendyks, who met on 2017’s “The Bachelor” when Arie was the season’s headliner, often share their latest home improvement projects and real estate listings on social media.

jim adkins

jim adkins, a mountain view high school alumnus who formed the jimmy eat world band in mesa in 1993, lives in phoenix with his family.

more:jim adkins talks jimmy eat world giving fans something to ‘be excited about’

sam means

sam medio, of the band the format fame, lives in phoenix with his wife anita and their daughter. The couple restored a warehouse in downtown Phoenix, where they run the Hello Merch merchandising company.

angel asher

asher angel found his calling while growing up in scottsdale and participating in youth and community theater groups such as desert stages theater and greasepaint youtheatre. known for his roles in “shazam!” and the disney channel program “andi mack”, angel lives in the valley of paradise with his family.

more:asher angel’s family helped film his new music video in metro phoenix

Reach the reporter at kimi.robinson@gannett.com or at 602-444-4968. Follow her on Twitter @kimirobin and Instagram @ReporterKiMi.

supports local journalism. subscribe to azcentral.com today.