Lei Li Biography: Everything to Know About Maynard James Keenan’s Wife

Lei Li (born in the late 70s) is best known as the wife of Maynard James Keenan. She is an American businesswoman, product designer, and Lab Manager of the Caduceus Cellars Winery 

For a person who is married to one of the most popular rock stars in the world, one would expect Lei Li to be living it up in the spotlight but this is not so. Li clearly buys into the same principle of strict privacy that her husband, Maynard James Keenan, subscribes to and this is a trait that has served them well in their union.

Li and Keenan are on the cusp of celebrating a decade of matrimony. They have also welcomed a daughter in the course of their union. The couple has dealt with their share of ups and downs but they remain together with Li playing a pivotal part in their family-owned winery which has put the Arizona area on the wine map in the world.

Lei Li is the Lab Manager of the Caduceus Cellars Winery in Jerome, Arizona

It is quite hard to come by personal details about Lei Li’s life but it is known that she celebrates her birthday on the 12th of August each year and was most likely born in the late 70s. She was born in the United States which means that she has American nationality. With regards to her ancestral heritage, Lei Li is of Asian ethnicity and has previously posted pictures of herself obtaining blessings from Tibetan monks.

Another aspect of Lei Li’s life that is shrouded in mystery is her family background. Her parents’ names are not available and it is also not known if she has siblings. One thing that is however for sure is that she must have had a loving family network which made for a wonderful childhood.

That wonderful childhood meant that Lei Li was able to complete her high school diploma in regular time. She subsequently completed a bachelor of science degree in college which was what helped her to snag a job at the Caduceus Cellars in 2004. Caduceus Cellars is a small family-owned winery located in Jerome, Arizona. They specialize in high elevation wines out of predominantly Italian and Spanish varietals.

The company has several wines to their credit and Lei Li serves as their lab manager. This is a very important role as she works with both the wine-making and cellar teams to ensure the successful flow of production. Her tasks will typically include analysis and evaluation of wines through chemical, physical, and microbiological tests to achieve optimal quality and stability of wines throughout aging and to the finished bottled product.

Additionally, she also works as a product developer for Puscifer and owns a clothing line called Licorice Lust.

She and Keenan Got Engaged in 2010 and Weded Two Years Later

Lei Li and her superstar husband love keeping their personal life private. It is therefore difficult to unravel certain details about them, including how they met or when exactly they started dating. It is however reasonable to presume that they met in the course of working together at the Caduceus Cellars Winery. While Lei Li is an employee, Maynard James Keenan is the owner of the winery.

Keenan first made his name and fortune as the frontman of several rock bands, including Tool. He later decided to explore winemaking as his grandparents were winemakers back when they lived in northern Italy. The singer purchased a vineyard in Jerome, Arizona, in 1995 and proceeded to set up his winery.

He hired several employees over the years and one of them was Li who eventually progressed to a significant position. This put them in frequent contact and they became good friends. They later began a romantic relationship after Keenan divorced his then-wife, Jennifer Ferguson, in the mid-2000s.

Lei Li and Maynard James Keenan dated for some time before the rock star popped the big question while they were visiting New York in June 2010. The proposal took place while they were on the observation deck of the Empire State Building and Li said yes.

An ecstatic and overjoyed Keenan revealed the good news during the premiere of a documentary about his winemaking that same day. The couple would later tie the knot in a secret ceremony that no one knew about. Reports though have it that it took place in 2012.

The Couple Welcomed Daughter, Lei Li Agostina Maria, in 2014

Lei Li and Maynard James Keenan have been married for 12 years now and they keep on thriving. Keenan continues to make waves with his music. He and Li have also joined hands to take Caduceus Cellars to great heights.

Their wines are loved by connoisseurs and ordinary persons alike and they have been credited with putting Arizona wine on the map. Away from work, Lei Li and Maynard James Keenan continue to live their best life. The couple has vacationed in several choice destinations all over the world, including the Giza Pyramid in Egypt. They have also cultivated a beloved circle of friends and family one of which is their beloved daughter, Lei Li Agostina Maria.

Agostina was born on the 25th of July 2014 and her proud dad took to Instagram to share the good news with the world. She is 9 years now and is undoubtedly growing up in a loving family setting. Another treasured member of the family is Keenan’s son from a past relationship named Devo. Devo is in his 20s and is a gifted singer and cello player. He sang backup on his father’s band’s album in 2003. He also gave a solo cello performance during his dad’s 50th birthday celebration in 2014.

Lei Li and her husband and daughter make their home in Arizona. They have undertaken several charitable ventures for the good of their local community. They keep things hush though as they have never been ones to court unnecessary media attention. Li and her husband rarely make it to red carpet events and avoid all other trappings of Hollywood. Keenan once pointed out that he is not wired to be in a place like Los Angeles and it seems his wife wholeheartedly agrees with him.

Lei Li is a Breast Cancer Survivor

2020 was quite tough for everyone out there but for Lei Li and her family, it was especially challenging as she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The nightmarish situation started when Li discovered a lump in her breast in November 2020. She immediately went in for a check-up and on Christmas Eve, her worst fears were confirmed as it turned out to be cancerous.

Such a situation was enough to throw any ordinary individual into depression but Lei Li refused to be cowered. She did not collapse into a pile of self-pity or act out in any self-destructive manner. She rather worked out a treatment plan with the medics and stuck to it.

Lei Li had to undergo chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation in the course of her treatment which couldn’t have been easy. She refused to moan or whine and was instead as steady as a rock which made her husband praise her to the high heavens.

The musician broke from his regular pattern to dedicate a heartfelt Instagram post to his wife in which he described her as his muse and all. Some months later, when Lei Li was given the all-clear by her doctors, Keenan equally took to Instagram to share their joy, describing his wife as a source of inspiration and his pillar of strength.