Who are all of Jimmy Barnes’ children? Inside the Aussie rocker’s past as his secret lovechild is revealed
Jimmy Barnes is best known for his powerful vocals with the iconic rock band Cold Chisel and his successful solo career.
But his life offstage is just as remarkable: he has fathered eight children by five women in his 68 years.
The Working Class Man hitmaker was named Father of the Year by the Fathering Project in August – an honor he shared with his eldest son, Today Extra presenter David Campbell.
When he talked about the honor at the time, Jimmy talked about fatherhood.
“From the moment you look into your baby’s eyes until the day he or she is about to walk through the door and start a life of their own, the joy flows freely,” he said in a statement.
‘I have watched David grow from a small child to a clumsy young man on his journey. We’ve both made mistakes along the way, but nothing we couldn’t fix with patience and love.”
Rocker Jimmy Barnes’ life offstage is just as remarkable: He has fathered eight children by five women over the course of his 68 years.
Jimmy revealed this week he has another daughter: property sales executive Katy Lee Carroll, who lives on the NSW north coast.
As news of Jimmy’s brood spreads, here’s a look at the Cold Chisel frontman’s unconventional family life.
Mahalia, Eliza Jane, Jackie and Ellie May
Jimmy has four children with wife Jane, whom he married in 1981.
They are Mahalia, 42, Eliza Jane, 40, Jackie, 38, Ellie May, 35.
The four siblings take after their father and started their musical career in the early ’90s as part of the children’s pop group The Tin Lids.
Their passion for music has continued into adulthood, with all four displaying their impressive talents.
Eldest daughter Mahalia has released four albums and participated in the third season of Channel 10’s The Masked Singer.
The multi-talented Jackie is also quite handy on the drums and has performed on over 60 releases since 1990.
Jimmy has four children with wife Jane: Jackie, Ellie May, Mahalia and Eliza Jane
The Khe Sanh singer revealed to Today Extra presenter David Campbell that he was his father when he was just 10 years old
David is pictured with half-sister Mahalia Barnes
He is currently the drummer for the iconic rockers Rose Tattoo.
Eliza Jane has also performed with the likes of Liam Finn, the son of Crowded House frontman Neil Finn, and with her band Evil J & Saint Cecilia.
She tied the knot with husband Jimmy Metherell in March this year.
Jimmy’s youngest, Ellie May, was last seen in the ABC series Headliners with Killing Heidi’s Ella Hooper and You Am I frontman Tim Rogers.
David Campbell
Khe Sanh singer Jimmy revealed to David Campbell that he was his father when he was 10 years old.
David was raised by his grandmother, who he believed was his adoptive mother, and thought his teenage mother Kim was his sister.
He always saw Jimmy growing up, but thought he was just a family friend until he discovered the truth.
‘I used to go to David when he was young, but he didn’t know who I was. It must have been so weird for him,” Jimmy admitted on The Apple and the Tree podcast.
Daughters Amanda Bennett and Megan Torzyn, both from Barnes’ hometown of Adelaide and now in their early 50s, first met their father in 2010
Jimmy has now revealed he also has a daughter, property sales executive Katy Lee Carroll, who lives on the NSW north coast.
“I had been on tour with Cold Chisel and I was hungover and I had a leather jacket on and I showed up.”
The singer admitted he was relieved when he told David he was his father and said it didn’t take long for them to develop a close father-son relationship.
Amanda Bennett and Megan Torzyn
Daughters Amanda Bennett and Megan Torzyn, both from Barnes’ hometown of Adelaide and now in their early 50s, first met their father in 2010.
The couple contacted Jimmy about the paternity, which led him to take a test, which revealed that he had fathered his daughters with two different women.
“My kids are all so great that when I found out there were some left, I thought they would be good people – and they are sweet girls,” Jimmy previously told New Idea.
“My only regret is not knowing them when they were younger, but life is what it is and all things happen for a reason.
“Back then it was probably better for them not to know me because I was pretty wild.”
Katy Lee Caroll
Jimmy has now revealed he also has a daughter, property sales executive Katy Lee Carroll, who lives on the NSW north coast.
“Christmas is all about family and we would like to introduce my daughter Katy Lee who has been in our lives for the past five years,” he wrote in a statement
The 68-year-old, who celebrated his 43rd wedding anniversary with Jane in May, has known about Mrs Carroll for five years.
Barnes released a statement on Instagram on Monday afternoon, just hours after Daily Mail Australia contacted his management about his secret offspring.
“Christmas is all about family and we would like to introduce my daughter Katy Lee who has been in our lives for the past five years,” he wrote.
“Katy is an amazing woman and ever since they discovered I was her biological father, our family and extended family have loved getting to know her.
‘It was heart-warming to see how the good relationship with her sisters and brothers grew.
‘We have always respected her very strong wish to keep her family life private and will continue to support her.
“I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas. I look forward to bringing you all more music in the new year.”