'A wonderful woman': Jimmy Barnes unveils another grown-up child
Jimmy Barnes has unveiled the latest member of his family – a grown-up daughter who, for most of her life, he didn’t know he had.
“Christmas is all about family,” he wrote in a social media post on Monday. “And we would like to introduce my daughter Katy Lee, who has been in our lives for the past five years.
Jimmy Barnes with his daughter Katy Lee Carroll.Credit: @jimmybarnesofficial/Instagram
“Katy is a wonderful woman and since discovering that I was her biological father, our family and extended family have loved getting to know her. It’s been heartwarming to see good relationships growing with her sisters and brothers.
“We have always respected her very strong desire to keep her family life private and will continue to support her. I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Christmas. I look forward to bringing you all more music in the New Year.”
Katy Lee Carroll, a real estate agent in Coffs Harbour, is the eighth known child born to the Cold Chisel frontman.
He shares four children (Mahalia, Eliza-Jane, Jackie, and Elly-May Barnes) with his wife Jane Mahoney, to whom he has been married since 1981. He has a son, the singer and TV presenter David Campbell, who was born when Barnes was just 16 years old, with Kim Campbell. And he has three other children (Amanda Bennett, Megan Torzyn and Katy Lee Carroll) from other relationships.
Barnes, 68, is one of the hardest-working men in showbiz. He joined Cold Chisel in 1973, when he was just 16 years old, and recently completed a 50th anniversary tour of Australia with the band (albeit a year late). He has had a significant solo career as well, has authored six books, and toured a spoken-word version of his autobiography Working Class Boy.
He has lived the very definition of the rock’n’roll life, struggling with alcohol, drugs, health – including heart, hip and back hip surgery, the last a result, he said, of “50 years of stomping around stages” – and, of course, extramarital sexual liaisons.
This is not the first time Barnes, 68, has discovered a child he did not know he had.
In 2010, he met for the first time his daughters Amanda, who was then 36, and Megan, 37. After confirming paternity, he welcomed them into his family.
“My only regret is not knowing them when they were younger,” he said at the time. “But life is what it is, and all things happen for a reason. At the time it was probably better for them that they didn’t know me because I was pretty wild.”
Ian Moss, Jimmy Barnes and Don Walker work their magic.Credit: Martin Philbey
Barnes was similarly unaware of Katy Lee Carroll’s existence until five years ago. They have been developing their relationship out of the glare of the public eye since, and reportedly only chose to go public because they feared the story was about to break.
“Five years ago, I discovered that my biological father is Jimmy Barnes,” Carroll said in a social media statement of her own, which is no longer publicly visible. “Since that moment, I’ve been embraced by the Barnes family with love, warmth and incredible understanding.
“Over these years we’ve slowly, carefully gotten to know one another and this journey has been one of patience, respect and tenderness. It’s been a deeply meaningful process and I am truly grateful for the bonds we are building together.
“This journey of discovering my family has brought up a lot of complex emotions and I ask for your understanding as I navigate this alongside the joy of reconnecting with my father and his family.
“My hope is that my privacy will be respected during this time, as I continue to work through these challenges. It has been an extraordinary gift to be welcomed into such a talented and kind family and I am thankful every day for their support.
“This discovery, though exciting, has been approached with great thoughtfulness, not only for me, but also for my children and all of our extended families. As we continue to nurture these relationships, I remain committed to protecting our privacy, allowing each of us to grow and heal in our own time.”
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