Rosie Perez Will Narrate the Audiobook for Ronnie Spector’s Memoir, ‘Be My Baby’

In the weeks before her death at the age of 78, Ronnie Spector finalized the newly revised Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts, and Madness, her acclaimed memoir originally released in 1990. She died of cancer in January. Now, as the 2022 edition arrives on May 3, an audiobook version narrated by Rosie Perez is set to follow on June 7.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be narrating the audiobook for Be My Baby,” Perez shared in a statement. “I have admired Ronnie throughout my life. It is a privilege to be able to bring her courageous and groundbreaking story to life in the audio format for the first time. It was an honor to have met her and our talks will forever stay with me.”

Borrowing its title from the acclaimed 1963 Ronettes single, Be My Baby chronicles Spector’s impactful role as the group’s lead singer, as well as her abusive marriage to producer Phil Spector. The revised edition keeps the focus on the legendary singer, though, her postscript avoiding any extensive comment on her former husband’s 2003 arrest, subsequent murder conviction, and 2021 death.

“Ronnie loved Rosie Perez and thought of her as a kindred spirit,” said Jonathan Greenfield, Spector’s husband and manager. “Like Ronnie, Rosie has her own unique style, flair, and spunkiness. Ronnie adored these things about her…not to mention that Rosie is so totally New York.”

He adds: “Ronnie also had tremendous respect for Rosie because of how much harder she had to work to sustain a career in show business. Rosie looked and sounded different, and she’s a woman. And Rosie made that all work for her, just like Ronnie did. We are thrilled that Rosie will give voice to Ronnie’s life story. I’ve no doubt we will be in great hands.”