Meet Joni Mitchell's daughter, Kilauren Gibb (previously Kelly Dale Anderson)
Since the 1960s, Joni Mitchell has been one of the most influential female singer-songwriters. The Canadian-American music icon is widely recognized for her unconventional compositions and personal lyrics. One of her songs, Little Green, was inspired by her only child, whom she kept a secret for over two decades. So, who is Joni Mitchell's daughter?
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Throughout the years, Joni has enjoyed an illustrious career. She has won 11 Grammy Awards. However, despite all the fame and success, Mitchell suffered separation from her daughter, who she gave up for adoption as a child. But why would a successful artist decide to live a life away from her child? Discover fascinating details surrounding Joni’s motherhood journey.
Joni Mitchell's profile summary
| Full name | Roberta Joan Anderson |
| Famous as | Joni Mitchell |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of birth | 7 November 1943 |
| Age | 80 years old (2024) |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
| Birthplace | Fort Macleod, Alberta, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian-American |
| Ethnicity | Mixed |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Height | 5’6’’ (168 cm) |
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lbs) |
| Hair colour | Grey |
| Eye colour | Blue |
| Sexuality | Straight |
| Marital status | Divorced |
| Ex-spouses | Chuck Mitchell and Larry Klein |
| Children | 1 |
| Profession | Singer-songwriter and painter |
| Net worth | $150 million |
| Social media | InstagramFacebookX (Twitter) |
Who is Joni Mitchell's daughter?
The Big Yellow Taxi hitmaker welcomed her baby daughter Kelly Dale Anderson on 19 February 1965, when she was 21. After her child’s birth, Joni stayed in the hospital for ten days. However, months later, she made a decision that would forever change her life and Kelly’s.
Source: Original
What happened to Joni Mitchell's daughter?
After Mitchell told her then-boyfriend and the father to her unborn child, Brad MacMath, he took off to California as he did not wish to be a dad yet. Unable to fend for her daughter, the singer gave her up for adoption when she was six months old.
Anderson’s adoptive parents, David and Ida Gibb, renamed her Kilauren Gibb. During an April 1997 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Roberta explained why she felt she had no choice other than adoption, saying:
At the time, the main issue was to conceal it. The scandal was intense because a daughter could not do anything more disgraceful. It ruined you in a social scene. The stigma was like you murdered somebody.
According to Hollywood Life, Joni was also unable to raise her child due to financial constraints.
Did Kilauren Gibb ever know she was adopted?
Even though David and Ida Gibb tried to take Kilauren’s adoption status away from her, she eventually found out that they were not her biological parents.
Source: Getty Images
According to PEOPLE, the celebrity daughter started putting pieces together that something was missing from her childhood.
I would look at our family’s album and realize no photos of me before I was eight months old. My mother tried to explain that the camera was not handy then, but I always had more questions than answers.
The adoptive couple only told Joni’s daughter that she was adopted when she was 27 and expecting her first child, Marlin. This led Gibb to the quest of looking for her birth mom.
Does Joni Mitchell know her daughter?
The existence of Joan’s child was not publicly known until 1993 when her former roommate sold the adoption story to a tabloid magazine per Distractify. In a 1996 interview with The New York Times, Mitchell announced her interest in finding her long-lost child.
The good news is that I am clean now and have no skeletons. But I worry because I would want my daughter to meet her grandparents while they are still alive.
Source: Getty Images
Eventually, one of Joni’s fans, Wally Breese, created a website that helped the duo reunite a year later. Per AmoMama, the Woodstock star expressed the joy of meeting her child for the first time in over twenty years, saying:
I have experienced joy and pain, but nothing like this. It is an unparalleled emotional feeling.
Since their reunion, Joni Mitchell and Kilauren Gibb have kept their relationship relatively private.
FAQs
Due to Roberta’s prominence, details about her personal life are always subject to public scrutiny. Here are some of the frequently asked questions about the songwriter’s family;
How old is Kelly Dale Anderson?
Kelly (59 as of 2024) now goes by Kilauren Gibb. She is Joan’s long-lost daughter, whom Joan gave up for adoption when she was an infant.
Did Joni Mitchell’s daughter ever meet her father?
After reuniting with her mother, Gibb met her dad, photographer Brad. She has two half-siblings from her father’s previous marriages.
Who are Joni Mitchell’s grandparents?
The renowned singer has two grandchildren, Marlin Kohler, 30, and Daisy Gibb, 24. They have both graced several red-carpet events alongside their grandmom.
Source: Getty Images
What does Joni Mitchell's daughter do for a living?
Despite her mother’s celebrity status, Kilauren prefers a private lifestyle. Therefore, information about her professional career remains a mystery.
Who is Joni Mitchell's partner now?
Roberta is currently single. However, she was previously married to Chuck Mitchell (1965-1967) and Larry Klein (1982-1994).
Joni Mitchell's daughter did not know about her mother until she was 27. The talented singer had given her up for adoption six months after birth, seeing that she was financially incapable of raising a child. After being apart for nearly three decades, the duo reunited and appeared to have a close relationship to date.
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Source: Briefly News
