james herbert keenan was born in ravenna, ohio on april 17, 1964. his mother is judith and his father is michael, who was a high school teacher. keenan's parents divorced when he was three years old, and michael moved away. keenan did not see him very much for the next 12 years. later, his mother married someone else. he was mean and did not allow keenan to be creative. when keenan was 11, his mother, judith, had a brain aneurysm that paralyzed her. two years later, she told keenan to move to michigan with his father.