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Patti Smith Unveils Memoir, Reveals Family Secret

11/6/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Patti Smith, the musician, launched her memoir Bread of Angels at New York’s Town Hall, coinciding with a historic mayoral election.
The memoir reveals a family secret: her biological father is Sydney, a pilot who died in 1965, not Grant Smith.
The discovery delayed her writing for two years as she processed the implications.
She will begin a U.S. tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Horses, starting November 12.

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Story summary

Patti Smith, the musician, launched her memoir Bread of Angels at New York’s Town Hall, coinciding with a historic mayoral election.
The memoir reveals a family secret: her biological father is Sydney, a pilot who died in 1965, not Grant Smith.
The discovery delayed her writing for two years as she processed the implications.
She will begin a U.S. tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of Horses, starting November 12.