Where are Helen Reddy's children now? All about Traci Wald Donat and Jordan Sommers
Helen Reddy's children, Traci Wald Donat and Jordan Sommers, defined her life behind the scenes as she defined the feminist movement with her chart-topping songs. The I Am Woman hitmaker welcomed the kids from her first two marriages.
Source: Facebook
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- The father of Helen Reddy's first child, Traci Wald Donat, was her first husband, Aussie musician Kenneth Claude Weate.
- The Australian-born singer welcomed her son, Jordan Sommers, during her second marriage to talent manager Jeff Wald.
- Helen Reddy's kids worked in the entertainment industry before Traci transitioned to herbal medicine and Jordan became a licensed psychotherapist based in London.
Traci Wald Donat
- Date of birth: January 19, 1963
- Age: 62 years old (as of December 2025)
- Place of birth: Malvern, Melbourne, Australia
- Social media: Instagram, Facebook
Helen Reddy welcomed Traci when she was 21 during her first marriage to musician Kenneth Claude, whom she married at 19. The Delta Down hitmaker raised Traci as a single mother, and the daughter barely knew her biological dad, who passed away in April 1970 when she was seven.
Traci and her mother moved to the United States when she was around three years old. She was later adopted and raised by Helen Reddy's second husband, talent manager Jeff Wald. While describing her relationship with Jeff, Traci said in a 2020 interview with AWW:
He always says to me: 'I fell in love with you first, before I fell in love with your mum'. On Sundays, I remember being on his shoulder, watching parades… it was magical.
Source: Facebook
Traci Wald is a herbalist
Traci is passionate about using healing plants and has studied herbal medicine, health, body, and wellness from a young age. She established Simples, a Santa Monica-based apothecary and tonic bar.
Her products, including Simple Tonics, herbal tinctures, and vinegar, are made from fresh plant material grown in her Malibu garden. She told Voyage LA in October 2018 that her mission is to make herbal medicine available and affordable to all people.
Helen Reddy's daughter has also worked in advertising and entertainment as a video and commercial director and producer. She is a film-school graduate and directed the 1989 short film A Nightmare on Drug Street. Traci revealed in her 2020 interview with AWW that she had no interest in becoming a performer.
Source: Instagram
Traci Wald is married to her longtime husband
Helen Reddy's daughter, Traci, is married to former actor and business executive Lucas Donat, the son of 'The Waltons' actress Michael Learned and Canadian actor Peter Donat. The couple tied the knot in July 1984.
Lucas and Traci have one daughter, Lily Donat, who is a singer and actress. Lily portrayed Lucy in the 2016 movie Easy 4U2 Say and a Nightclub singer in I Am Woman, a 2019 biopic about her grandmother Reddy.
Source: Instagram
Jordan Sommers Wald
- Date of birth: December 12, 1972
- Age: 53 years (as of December 2025)
- Place of birth: Los Angeles, California
- Social media: Instagram, LinkedIn
Helen Reddy welcomed Jordan Sommers with her ex-husband, talent manager Jeff Wald. Jordan was 10 years old when his parents divorced in 1983. He later became Milton Ruth's stepson for about 12 years, when the drummer was married to his mother from 1983 to 1995.
Source: Facebook
Jordan Sommers left his entertainment career
Jordan had a career in entertainment as a producer, writer, and director. He was a music supervisor on The Perfect Host (2010) and a music consultant on Jack Frost (1998). Sommers was also an associate producer on the I Am Woman biopic and a segment producer for 49 episodes of The Roseanne Show starring Roseanne Barr.
After over 25 years in the entertainment industry, Jordan switched careers to become an MBACP-registered counsellor and psychologist based in London. He graduated from the University of East London in 2024 with a Bachelor of Science in Mental Health Counselling, according to his LinkedIn.
Source: Facebook
Jordan Sommers has a longtime wife
Helen Reddy's son married Yasmina Shirazi-Sommers in January 2007. She is a Persian with Iranian roots and previously worked in entertainment as an actress and director.
Yasmina is now a London-based BACP and UKCP-accredited psychotherapist with a postgraduate diploma and an MA in Integrative Psychotherapy from Regent's University London. Yasmina and Jordan Sommers run their London practice called Sommers Psychotherapy.
Source: UGC
What happened to Helen Reddy's second husband?
Jeff Wald and Helen Reddy met in New York City in 1966 and exchanged vows in May 1968. The couple divorced in 1983 because Wald struggled with substance abuse. His life changed in 1986 when he overdosed and had to be rushed to a Los Angeles hospital.
The talent manager was rehabilitated at the Betty Ford Centre. In a 2011 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Jeff Wald revealed that he had not touched drugs since the incident.
I'm 25 years sober now. I never thought I could do that. And I don't miss it.
Wald remarried Candy Clark in 1987, but they separated after one year in 1988. The talent manager married his third wife, Deborah Benson Wald, in 1990, and they welcomed one child. Helen Reddy's ex-husband passed away on November 12, 2021, at the age of 77.
Source: Getty Images
How much money did Helen Reddy have when she died?
The Australian-born singer was estimated to be worth $3 million at the time of her death on September 29, 2020, according to Celebrity Net Worth. She rose to fame in the 1970s after relocating to the United States. Reddy had hits like I Am Woman, I Don't Know How to Love Him, Delta Down, Angie Baby, You and Me Against the World, and Ain't No Way to Treat a Lady.
Helen Reddy earned the label of feminist poster girl for her contribution to the 1970s feminist movement. She posthumously won the 2020 Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music at the 2021 APRA Music Awards.
Source: Getty Images
Conclusion
Helen Reddy's children have built independent lives and professions, but continue to carry their parents' legacy. Both Helen and Jeff Wald talked about their love for Traci and Jordan Sommers. The kids have since embraced more private lives away from Hollywood.
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Briefly.co.za highlighted facts about Kirsten Kief. She was adopted by legendary singer-songwriter Barry Manilow when she was a toddler.
Kirsten's biological father, Garry Kief, started dating Manilow in the late 1970s, and they married in 2014 when gay marriage was legalised in the state of California. She is an entertainment executive and has worked with both her dads.
Source: Briefly News
