Patti Smith, one of the pioneers of the punk rock movement in New York City in the 1970s and renowned for blending her rock music with poetry, is passing on her musical legacy down a generation or two. The legendary rocker, now 78, is a proud mom-of-three, and while she tends to keep her personal life out of the spotlight in comparison to her work, some of her most celebrated efforts, such as her 2010 award-winning memoir Just Kids and her newly released second memoir Bread of Angels, put it on full display.
One of those revelations in her new book, that is now making the rounds, was that at the age of 70, she discovered that her biological father was actually not the man who’d assumed that role, Grant Smith, at all – it was a man named Sidney, who’d died young. Her sister Linda, as it turns out following a paternity test, was only her half-sister.
“I wasn’t sure what to do with this information, because I wanted the book I was writing to be very truthful, and all of a sudden, I had a parallel truth,” she told People. “And I felt if I didn’t write about it, then it felt like truth was compromised.” She still expressed gratitude for the family she had in her parents, Grant and her mother Beverly, her sister Linda, and her kids.
As it turns out, it was actually the singer’s oldest daughter, the one she’d placed for adoption decades ago, that helped her make this discovery. Read on to learn a bit more about Patti’s three children…
© Getty ImagesJackson Smith, 43
In 1982, Patti welcomed her son Jackson Frederic Smith with her husband Fred “Sonic” Smith. Fred was a guitarist and a member of the band MC5 and tied the knot with Patti in 1980 after the two were embroiled in an affair while he was married to his first wife. The couple were together until 1994, when he died of heart failure at the age of just 46.
© Getty ImagesJackson is a guitarist, most often performing on tour with his mom and occasionally his younger sister. At one point, he also worked as a realtor in Michigan. In 2009, he tied the knot with Meg White, drummer for The White Stripes. That marriage ended in divorce in 2013. He is now married to Lisa Marie.
© Getty ImagesJesse Smith, 38
In 1987, Fred and Patti welcomed their daughter Jesse Paris Smith. Jesse, like her mother, is a poet and musician, working as not only a writer, but also a composer, pianist and producer. She also works as an environmental activist, the co-founder of Pathway to Paris, an organization helping cities go 100% renewable in line with the Paris Agreement.
© Getty ImagesJesse is also a Grammy nominee, earning her first nod at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards for Best New Age Album for her contributions to the record Songs From the Bardo. She currently lives in NYC and is also a certified grief support coach, therapist, Reiki master, wellness coach, and the founding ambassador of NY International Antiquarian Book Fair, per her bio. She keeps her non-professional life away from the limelight.
Ahad Sanwari
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