David Bowie's Daughter Is All Grown Up

It's been more than 17 years since the late, great David Bowie and his wife, Iman, introduced their daughter, Alexandria Zahra "Lexi" Jones, to the world via a flashy photo shoot for Hello! magazine. Though the supermodel and iconic musician opened up for the rare interview, it was was one of only a few times the couple spoke to the press about their family life.

We've learned from brief sentiments by the couple, as well as a few close friends, that both Bowie and Iman completely changed their lives to raise Lexi. Thanks to the advent of social media, we've also been able to snag tiny snippets of Lexi's life through both her and her mother's accounts.  

Suffice to say, little Lexi has since grown up quite a bit. Although the teen seemingly remains as private as her father was, we've been able to piece together some info about one of the world's most famous offspring. Here's what we know.

Lexi is the only child from Bowie and Iman's marriage, although they each have a child with their former respective partners. Bowie welcomed son Duncan Jones — now a famous Hollywood director — with ex-wife Angie in 1971; Iman had daughter Zulekha Haywood with basketball star Spencer Haywood in 1978.

Speaking to Parade magazine in 2009, Iman touched upon the differences between having a child in her twenties versus in her fifties, calling Lexi's birth a miracle. "People talk about the miracle of birth," Iman said. "No. There's the miracle of conception. I did IVF, but nothing happened. So I began to think of adoption, and then I got pregnant. It was definitely a miracle."

In that same interview with Hello!, Iman revealed that having Lexi was not only the "happiest of times" in her life, but that it brought her and her husband of then-eight years even closer together. "We've always been very close, but if it's possible we've been drawn even closer," she said. "There's a joy or a contentment that's almost palpable to both of us. Overnight, our lives have been enriched beyond belief."

According to the Daily Mail, Bowie even bought "an undeveloped 64-acre mountain" in the Catskill mountains of New York and built a summer home there so the family could enjoy some privacy and time away from their busy life in New York City.

According to the Mirror, Bowie's close friend, the director Ivo Van Hove, revealed that Lexi was one of Bowie's biggest motivators during his secret 18-month battle with cancer. "I felt he was not in a death struggle but a struggle for life — he wanted to live on," Van Hove said. "He has a daughter of 15 and he really wanted to go on, but it was physically not possible."

"He was ill, but he wanted to live — for his wife and daughter, and for music. That became obvious to me time and time again during our collaboration," Van Hove said. Sadly, Bowie lost his battle to cancer on Jan. 10, 2016, in New York City. 

In the wake of Bowie's death, many articles were written about how having a second child taught Bowie to embrace what the Express called his "most conventional role" of doting father. "He missed out on much of [Duncan's] young life, and wanted to spend as much time as possible with Lexi," said Bowie's biographer, David Buckley (via the Express). The article said Bowie was often seen taking Lexi to school and helping her with her homework. Indeed, when a fan wrote "Imagine David Bowie turning up to your school" on Twitter, Iman chimed in to say that he actually turns up as "David Jones, dad."

According to the Daily Mail, Bowie had said that having a second child had "put his workaholic tendencies 'into perspective' and given him the will to stay healthy." Iman confirmed this slower-paced lifestyle, which included "going to the park and sitting in cafes," in a 2002 interview with the Sunday Times. "We're just ordinary people," she said. "Our life is domestic."

Although it's hard to imagine someone as gorgeous and glamorous as Iman rescheduling her life around school events and homework, that's apparently exactly what happened after giving birth to Lexi. While discussing the possibility of a David Bowie 2013 tour with Grazia magazine, she confessed at the time (via the Daily Mail), "We have a 12-year-old in school, so we are stuck, we can't travel. Our schedule is around her, so I don't know. We'll have to go visit him, but we won't be on tour with him because she's in school."

Iman even confessed that she and Bowie were the ones shlepping little Lexi to school in NYC, rather than a dedicated crew of nannies. "I still take my little girl to school" she told The Edit (via HuffPost) in 2013. "David picks her up. It's easier than any place we've ever lived. People are too cool to bother you."

Given how glamorous and eccentric her father was, you'd think that Lexi might have been confused or intimidated by Bowie's at times larger-than-life stage persona. Not so, claims Iman. "The difference between rearing a child in your 20s and one in your 50s is one of patience," she told Parade. "I was at the height of my career when I had my first child, and I took her with me around the world. Then I had to root her in school. It was difficult to leave her behind. Now this one thinks she has it tough because both her old parents are at home with her all the time." Iman recalled, "When Lexi was about 4, she first saw a picture of David as Ziggy Stardust [one of Bowie's flamboyant stage personas]. 'Why is his hair orange?' she wanted to know. The makeup didn't faze her."

Born Aug. 15th, 2000, Lexi hit a milestone in 2016 when she celebrated her 16th birthday. In one of the most mom-like posts ever, Iman celebrated Lexi's birthday with a sweet shout-out and a rare photograph of her daughter on Instagram. "Happy sweet 16th birthday to my baby girl Lexi! Stay sweet," Iman wrote. "'Classy with a hint of sassy.'" Lexi probably replied with, "awww!" But also "Ugh, mom!"

In March 2017, Iman offered another brief glimpse into Lexi's world when she posted this photo to Instagram with the caption, "My Sunday boo!" In the photo, Lexi appears to show off her edgy side with an epic nose ring that suggests she may have inherited her father's wilder taste for fashion. Granted, that nose ring is nothing compared to anything that Ziggy Stardust wore in his heydey. But, come on: what were YOU wearing when you were 16?

If you're wondering why you never hear about Lexi, that's because her parents went out of their way to keep her life private, much like they did for themselves. Though she was photographed for Hello! in 2000 when she was just 17 days old, the famous couple insisted the magazine spread would be Lexi's "first and last interview."

The paparazzi rarely catch a glimpse of Lexi. She was seen for the first time after Bowie's death in August 2016, about eight months after his passing. She was previously photographed on a trip to Venice with her father in 2013.

Once again proving that she's the proudest mom in Hollywood, Iman shared another photo of Lexi via Instagram in August 2017 to celebrate her daughter's 17th birthday. "The Queen of my heart Lexi Jones at 17 years old!" Iman wrote. Based on the "#selfportrait" hashtag, as well as the background, the photo was apparently a selfie snapped at a beach.

No other details were made available, but the following year, Iman upped her b-day celebration game by posting a whopping 18 photos of Lexi for her 18th birthday. The first shot was a beautiful family photo of Iman, Bowie, and a then-days-old Lexi. The series goes all the way through Lexi's toddler years and into young adulthood, ending on this heartbreaking tribute to Lexi and her dad. Awe! 

Given her preference for privacy, it's not surprising that we don't hear from Lexi as much as we do from other famous celebrity offspring — even if she is now a legal adult. However, she has started to give us a bit more of a peek into her life, and we're all for it! 

Thanks to an Instagram page that appears to belong to Lexi Jones (the account has yet to be verified, but it is followed and has been linked by Iman), we've gotten a bit more info on Lexi's life in 2018. For starters, she graduated high school. Woo hoo!

"Never thought I'd be ever be graduating but the day has come and I'm so thankful for everyone that has supported me thru this. Congrats class of 2018 Wuta ride," Lexi captioned the above photo. Her mom joined in the celebration as well, sharing a video montage of Lexi that was put together by her older half-sister Zulekha.

Of course, with high school graduation comes another rite of passage: prom. Lexi hit the dance floor with a handsome chap, who has also popped up in several other photos on her Instagram. "S**t prom but spent w the best ppl," Lexi captioned the photo of herself with the dude who was presumably her date. So, that of course begs the question: Who is the mystery man?

The aforementioned prom guy (above) has also appeared in several other snapshots on Lexi Jones' presumed Instagram; including this series where they seem to be lounging in what could be a music studio of some sort; this series that she captioned, "I miss my boy," with a heart emoji; and this shot where she refers to him as "Mi sunshine."

Of course, we can't say for certain that Lexi and Señor Sunshine are romantically connected, but a tag on a photo in this series on Lexi's dedicated artwork Instagram identifies him as Travis Beltrami. That tag leads to this unverified Instagram account that appears to belong to Beltrami and features this photo of the pair with the caption, "Happy birthday my beloved." Also, on the aforementioned "Mi Sunshine" photo, that same account linked to Beltrami commented, "I love you."

Enough Internet detective work for one day? Yeah, we think so, too.

Though she has not spoken publicly about the loss of her dad, Lexi Jones shared a touching tribute for him that she had permanently inked on her forearm. The design is a floral-patterned crescent moon with the words "Daddy xx," and "1947 – 2016" written inside it to represent the span of David Bowie's life. Lexi's mom also got a remembrance tat, a "Bowie knife with 'David' on the handle on her ankle," according to Yahoo. Iman also shared her body art on Instagram with the caption, "You will always be part of us. Jan 10th #BowieForever#EverAndEver." Yahoo reported that Lexi's choice of a moon tattoo, though not as overt as her mother's choice, may be of particular significance, thanks to a beautiful memory Bowie once shared with Conan O'Brien. 

"We have [a terrace] and we were out the other day. It was still light but you could see a half moon. [Lexi] looked up and saw it — it was the first time she had seen the moon that it's registered," Bowie told the late night host. "'Moon! Moon!' she said, and then she started crying, and then she started laughing, and then she dragged me into her room and we had to get all the books that had a moon in them, and then take them outside and hold them up to the sky [to compare them side by side]."

Anyone else sobbing right now? Nah, we're totally not over here either.

We mentioned that Lexi has a dedicated Instagram page to showcase her artwork. It's called unsettling.art, and it's easy to see from the work that she is the offspring of two fascinating and creative individuals. As of this writing, there are only a few pieces on the page, which promises "Not selling just yet but will be soon!" The work ranges from comically gory sketches, such as this one titled "Mansicle" and this one titled "Drippy nip slip," to lovely landscape paintings.

There is no doubt that her avant-garde dad would have beamed with pride at his daughter's artistic endeavors; her mom certainly does. Iman has shared Lexi's work on Facebook and Instagram and even linked out to the unsettling.art page as well. A supportive mom and a business promoter? What more could a girl ask for?