Mick Jagger is known for many things, but perhaps two things the rock and roll legend is most famous for is his music and his history with women.
It’s no secret that Mick Jagger has been with a lot of women, but perhaps his most troublesome relationship is the one he had with his oldest child, Karis.
After her birth in 1970 he refused to acknowledge her existence for nearly 10 years.
Mick first crossed paths with Marsha Hunt, an actress and model, when she appeared in the musical “Hair.” He invited her to appear in a photoshoot for The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman,” but she declined.
That didn’t stop Mick from pursuing Marsha nor did the fact that he was in a relationship with Marianne Faithfull. To make a sticky situation even stickier, Marsha was married at the time.
The two had an affair which lasted for several years and ended shortly before Marsha gave birth to the couple’s child.
Despite Mick’s love for Marsha – in 2012 ten love letters he wrote to her sold at auction – he distanced himself which resulted in Marsha moving out of his home and another woman moving in.
Mick and Marsha’s daughter
After Marsha moved out, Catherine James, a 22-year-old model moved in. James told the DailyMail she was under the impression that Mick was over his relationship with Marsha.
“It didn’t seem a big deal to him. He just mentioned that she was a girl he had met who had got pregnant. He said he wasn’t in love with her, but she was very talented.”
“I felt he was not encumbered by anything, not by Marsha or the baby. He was young, and I didn’t get the impression he was thinking seriously about becoming a father and being part of this child’s life.”
Prior to their daughter’s birth, Marsha asked Mick for financial help, and he sent her a little over $200.
Karis Hunt Jagger was born on November 4, 1970, and Mick wasn’t present for her birth. He reportedly visited his former girlfriend and daughter days later, and that would be one of the last time he saw his daughter for years.
Marsha was forced to raise her child without any help from Mick, and she struggled, especially financially. But Mick had no interest.
When Karis was two years old she burnt herself on hot tea. Her injury required a visit to the hospital which resulted in a rather small hospital bill, yet her father refused to pay.
After failing to get Mick to agree to establish a trust fund for their daughter, Marsha involved the legal system. And in June 1973, Mick agreed – after three court hearings – to pay into a $13,609.65 trust for Karis. He also agreed to pay $680 per year in an out of court deal.
His lawyers also insisted that Marsha sign paperwork stating that Karis was not Mick’s daughter.
Chris O’Dell, Mick’s personal assistant in the early 1970’s said, “I never remember him talking about their child. In fact, I wasn’t aware of a baby being around at all. It was almost like Karis didn’t exist.”
Years later, a Los Angeles court ruled that Mick was Karis’ father and he was ordered to pay $1,500 a month in child support.
Despite the tension and bad blood during the early years, Mick eventually welcomed Karis into his life, but it wasn’t until she was much older.
When his oldest daughter graduated from Yale University, he was there. He invited her to Buckingham Palace when he was knighted, and he even gave his daughter away during her wedding in 2004.
And perhaps most surprising, when Mick’s long-term girlfriend, L-Wren Scott died by suicide in 2014 she was there for him without judgement.
The then 43-year-old Karis was there for her father as he mourned L’Wren’s death. She even helped him arrange a ceremony to celebrate his love’s life.
It is always heartbreaking when a parent won’t acknowledge their own child, but it’s especially heartbreaking when that person is a celebrity. The child has done nothing wrong, and yet it is like they are being punished.
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