Steve Jobs: His biological parents gave him up for adoption, but he was never officially adopted by anyone else.
Marilyn Monroe: Monroe's father abandoned her, and her mother was institutionalized due to mental health issues. She spent much of her childhood in orphanages and foster homes.
Ray Charles: Charles' father abandoned the family when Ray was a toddler, and his mother passed away when he was 14. He stayed with family friends but was never formally adopted.
Nelson Mandela: Mandela's father died when he was nine, and his mother passed away when he was 12. He was raised by his father's friend but was never formally adopted.
J.K. Rowling: Rowling's mother passed away when she was young, and her father was absent from her life. She was raised by her grandparents but was never formally adopted.
Ella Fitzgerald: Fitzgerald's mother left the family when she was an infant, and her father was absent from her life. She was raised by her mother's friend but was never formally adopted.
Malcolm X: Malcolm X's father died when he was six, and his mother was institutionalized when he was 12. He lived in foster homes and with family friends but was never formally adopted.
J.R.R. Tolkien: Tolkien's mother passed away when he was young, and his father had already passed away. He was raised by a Catholic priest but was never formally adopted.
Edgar Allan Poe: Poe's father abandoned the family when Poe was a baby, and his mother passed away from tuberculosis when Poe was three. He was raised by foster families but was never formally adopted.
Jamie Foxx: Foxx's biological parents gave him up for adoption, and he was raised by his mother's adoptive parents but had no contact with his birth parents.
Oprah Winfrey: Winfrey's mother passed away when she was young, and her father was absent from her life. She was raised by her grandmother but was never formally adopted.
Halle Berry: Berry's mother passed away when she was young, and her father was absent from her life. She was raised by her maternal grandmother but was never formally adopted.