Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes has a secret eighth child – the previously unknown third daughter of great-grandfather who has emerged in recent years.
Barnes has four children aged between 35 and 42 with his wife Jane, as well as Today Extra host David Campbell, 51, who was born when the Cold Chisel frontman was a teenager.
Daughters Amanda Bennett and Megan Torzyn, both from Barnes’ hometown of Adelaide and now in their early 50s, met their father for the first time in 2010.
Barnes has now revealed she also has another daughter: real estate sales associate Katy Lee Carroll, who lives on the New South Wales north coast.
The 68-year-old, who celebrated his 43rd wedding anniversary with Jane in May, has known Carroll for five years.
Barnes issued a statement on Instagram on Monday afternoon, just hours after Daily Mail contacted her management about her secret offspring.
“Christmas is about family and we would like to introduce you to my daughter Katy Lee who has been in our lives for the past five years,” he wrote.
‘Katy is a wonderful woman and since finding out that I was her biological father, our family and extended family have loved getting to know her.
Australian rock legend Jimmy Barnes has a secret eighth child – his previously unknown third daughter who has emerged in recent years. Barnes is pictured with his daughter Katy Lee Carroll.
‘It has been heartwarming to see good relationships with his sisters and brothers growing.
‘We have always respected her strong desire to keep her family life private and will continue to support her.
‘I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I hope to bring you all more music in the new year.”
Carroll’s Instagram account features photos of her with Barnes, Jane, daughter Mahalia, son Jackie and Campbell, along with the TV host’s three children.
In September of last year, a photograph of Carroll sitting next to Mahalia and also featuring her famous father with his 65-year-old wife was posted on Barnes’ official Instagram account.
Carroll, tagged in the post, responded: “We love you.”
Another image on Carroll’s account showing her with her father and Mahalia is captioned “heart is full…birthday weekend full of food and love,” with a message of thanks to Barnes and his wife.
Carroll was born in 1987, four years after Cold Chisel initially disbanded, and the same year Barnes recorded Too Much Ain’t Enough Love, his first solo number one single. In the photo father and daughter
Katy Lee Carroll (far left) appears in an image on Jimmy Barnes’ official Instagram account sitting next to Mahalia Barnes and across from Jimmy and Jane Barnes.
When contacted early Monday afternoon, Ms. Carroll asked for time to consider providing information about her relationship with Barnes.
“I think it’s probably best you contact Jimmy’s PR team or Jimmy,” he told Daily Mail Australia. ‘I just can’t say anything right now.
“I’ve been waiting for this.”
The publicist Carroll recommended did not return calls.
Carroll later released a statement confirming that she discovered Barnes was her biological father five years ago.
“Since that moment, the Barnes family has embraced me with love, warmth and incredible understanding,” she said.
‘Throughout these years we have gotten to know each other slowly and carefully and this journey has been one of patience, respect and tenderness.
“It has been a deeply meaningful process and I am truly grateful for the bonds we are building together.”
Carroll asked for privacy for herself and her children.
“I want to be open about something very personal,” she said.
‘This journey of discovery for my family has generated many complex emotions and I ask for your understanding as I navigate it along with the joy of reconnecting with my father and his family.
Katy Lee Carroll is pictured with Jimmy Barnes and her son David Campbell along with their three children, Leo and twins Betty and Billy.
‘My hope is that my privacy is respected during this time, as I continue to overcome these challenges.
Carroll described welcoming the Barnes family as “an extraordinary gift.”
“While the details of my relationship with Jimmy and the Barnes family are private, I feel compelled to share my gratitude for the love and care they have shown me,” she said.
‘It has been an extraordinary gift to be welcomed into such a kind and talented family and I am grateful every day for their support.
‘This discovery, although exciting, has been approached with great consideration, not only for me, but also for my children and our entire family.
‘As we continue to foster these relationships, I remain committed to protecting our privacy, allowing each of us to grow and heal in our own time.
‘Thank you for your understanding, compassion and respect during this deeply personal chapter of my life. “Your support means more than words can express.”
Barnes confirmed that he was Bennett and Torzyn’s father through DNA testing and welcomed them to the clan.
This photo of Katy Lee Carroll, Jimmy Barnes, and their daughter Mahalia Barnes is captioned, “Heart is full…birthday weekend filled with food and love,” thanks to Jimmy and Jane Barnes.
“My children are so great that when I found out there were a couple more, I felt they would be good people and lovely girls,” she told New Idea in September 2010.
‘My only regret is not having met them when they were younger, but life is what it is, 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.”
Jane, whose other children with Barnes are Eliza-Jane (EJ), 40, and Elly-May, 35, told the same magazine that it was “really lovely” to discover her husband had two other daughters.
“There is a correct procedure and then the rest was easy,” he said.
“Jimmy is the love of my life and if he has children who are like him and like my children, to me that is really lovely.”
Barnes explained to comedian, artist and writer Anh Do, who painted the singer for his ABC show Anh’s Brush With Fame, how one of his long-lost daughters tracked him down.
“I remember Jimmy Barnes telling me that after a show a woman handed him a letter,” Do told Who magazine in 2018.
Katy Lee Carrol appears in the photo between her father Jimmy Barnes and her half-brother Jackie Barnes. Katy and Jackie carry cold chisel band passes.
‘She read it that night and it said that she thinks it may be her daughter from 30 years ago. And there is a photo.
And Barnsey looks at the photo and thinks, “Yeah, I better get a paternity test.” And it turns out that she is his daughter.
Mrs. Carroll, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Torzyn and Campbell have different mothers.
Ms Bennett and Campbell were schoolmates the same year at Adelaide’s Northfield High, but did not know they were half-siblings at the time.
Mahalia, 42, Eliza-Jane, 40, Jackie, 38, Elly-May, 35, formed 1990s children’s pop group The Tin Lids and are successful musicians who have shared the stage with their father.
Campbell, who is also a platinum-selling singer, was raised by her maternal grandmother Joan, believing her to be her mother.
He learned that Kim Campbell, the woman he thought was his older sister, was his real mother and that Barnes was his father when he was in elementary school.
“I discovered it when I was 10 years old,” Campbell said. ‘It was very overwhelming.
“I had anxiety and didn’t know who to talk to, but this was the easiest part because finding out that my sister was my mother (was difficult).”
Earlier this year, Barnes told The Apple & The Tree podcast: “I used to go see David when I was young, but he didn’t know who I was. “It must have been very strange for him.
All of Barnes’ children with Jane have children of their own and he is a great-grandfather to at least one.
Barnes and Campbell were named Fathers of the Year in August by advocacy organization The Fathering Project.
Campbell, who has son Leo and twins Betty and Billy with wife Lisa, gushed about sharing the honor with Barnes.
“Being able to share this award with my father is extremely special on many levels,” he said.
‘He is the model for how I navigate my life as a father. Although it seems premature to receive this award, as my twins are in primary school and my son is only in eighth grade, it means a lot to me anyway.’
Barnes said fatherhood had brought immense joy to his life, but admitted he had “made mistakes” in his heartfelt statement.
“From the moment you look into your baby’s eyes to the day they are about to walk through the door to venture out into a life of their own, joy flows freely,” she said.
“I’ve watched David on his journey, growing from a little boy to a clumsy young man, along the way we both made mistakes, but nothing we couldn’t fix with patience and love.”
Cold Chisel, who formed in Adelaide in 1973 and have sold more than 7 million albums, toured for their 50th anniversary this year.
In addition to the band’s six number one albums in Australia, 15 of Glasgow-born Barnes’ solo albums have topped the charts.
His books include the award-winning memoirs Working Class Boy and Working Class Man, which have sold more than 500,000 copies.
Barnes’s last written collection of personal stories is Highways and Byways.