Singer Alicia Keys, and football player Patrick Willis are celebrating their birthdays today.
Alicia Keys, 33
Singer, songwriter, pianist, musician, producer, and actress Alicia Keys turns 33 today. Her debut album, Songs in A Minor, sold 12 million copies worldwride and earned her five Grammy awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'." Her second album Diary of Alicia Keys sold eight million copies worldwide and earned Keys another four Grammy awards in 2005. That same year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, and it debuted at No. 1, making her the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album debut at No. 1, and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.
Keys made her film debut in smokin' Aces alongside Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Taraji P. Henson, and Chris Pine. She has also starred in The Nanny Diaries and The Secret Life of Bees. Her third studio album, As I Am, sold five million copies, and earned Keys another three Grammy awards. The Element of Freedom was her first album to ever top the U.K. chart. Girl on Fire became her fifth album to top the U.S. chart.
In 2010, a representative for Keys announced that she was engaged to music producer Swizz Beatz and was expecting her first child. Keys married Beatz in July of that year, and they had their son, Egypt Daoud Ibarr Dean, in October.
Patrick Willis, 29
NFL inside linebacker Patrick Willis turns 29 today. Willis played football at the University of Mississippi. While there he earned All-American honors. During his senior year, he won the Butkis Award and the Jack Lambert Award as the nations top linebacker.
In 2007, Willis was the 11th pick overall by the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL draft. A year into his NFL career, he became the lead in tackles, earned All-Pro and Pro-Bowl honors, and became the 2007 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Willis won Pro-Bowl and All-Pro honors in all six years of his NFL career. He also won the Professional Butkis Award with the 49ers in 2009, and is regarded as one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL.