How a child of rock royalty became an artist and psychotherapist

Countries & Cities · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Born to INXS frontman Michael Hutchence and presenter Paula Yates, Tiger Hutchence-Geldof navigated a complex family history. From a traumatic childhood in London to studying drama in New York, her journey has transitioned from the shadow of celebrity into a career as a musician and art psychotherapist.

Born in London on 22 July 1996, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence-Geldof experienced profound family upheaval early in life. Her father, the Australian INXS lead singer Michael Hutchence, died by suicide in Sydney on 22 November 1997, when she was just one year old. Her mother, British TV presenter Paula Yates, died following a drug overdose on 17 September 2000, leaving the four-year-old alone with her at the time of her death. Her father's death occurred in Sydney, Australia. She was four years old when her mother passed away.

Once Yates passed away, her former husband, Irish activist and singer-songwriter Bob Geldof, received temporary custody of the child, who grew up with her three older half-sisters: Peaches, Fifi, and Pixie. Although her paternal grandfather, Kell Hutchence, had previously sought custody in 1998, Geldof was awarded full custody in December 2000. Geldof legally adopted her in 2007, changing her surname despite opposition from Hutchence's mother and sister. Her half-sister Pixie actually suggested the name Heavenly. The judge previously rejected a request to move her to California.

Hutchence-Geldof has since carved out an independent identity. She relocated to Fremantle, Western Australia, after earning a psychology degree from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2019, but returned to the UK in 2023. Her musical work comprises a 2020 EP and her 2022 first album, Tragic Tiger's Sad Meltdown, containing tracks composed after her half-sister Peaches died in 2014. Today, she works professionally as both a musician and an art psychotherapist. She moved to New York to study drama after turning eighteen. Her first musical release was a three-track EP on Bandcamp.

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