David Bowie’s Daughter Reveals Heartbreak of Being in Treatment When He Died

Alexandria “Lexi” Jones, the only child of supermodel Iman and the late music star David Bowie is opening up like never before. In particular, she’s shedding light on her mental health journey years ago and how her struggles played an un unfortunate role in her father’s final years.

In a recent, 20-minute long video to Instagram, the 25-year-old artist made the shocking admission that she was living in a treatment facility in Utah when he father passed away in 2016. While they had physical distance, she was able to speak with him two days before he passed away.

“I had the luxury of speaking to him two days before, on his birthday. I told him I loved him and he said it back, and we both knew,” she explained.

She then went on to share that during her teenage years, she struggled with substance abuse, an eating disorder, and depression. A large of part of those issues were tied to her not wanting to be in the public eye, skepticism of people who befriended her just because of her famous parents, and the confusion on how to forge genuine friendships.

“I didn’t want fame, I didn’t want attention, I didn’t want to be a public person and I still don’t. The spotlight never felt like warmth to me, it felt like exposure. It felt like being visible without being known,” Jones said.

She continued: “I became scared of people and depended on them at the same time. I wanted connection desperately but I didn’t trust it when I had it and I was emotionally exhausted and I didn’t understand why. So when my mental health started collapsing—it didn’t come out of nowhere. It came from years of confusion with identity and expectation and feeling watched but not understood.”

Jones went on to share that learning of her father’s cancer diagnosis was when everything shifted for the worse, describing it as her “breaking point.” After several moments of her lashing out and being extremely angry, her parents called her into the living room and read a letter. Though she couldn’t recall specifics, Jones said that the letter ended with an apology before two large men popped out to take her away at 14 years old.

Where she ended up was a 91 day “wilderness therapy treatment program” in which she had to learn to rugged survival skills.

“We made fires by stripping birch bark and striking flint and steel. I was a city girl. I didn’t even know this kind of program existed,” she said.

After that time period was over, she was then sent to the aforementioned facility in Utah and later a boarding school. While there was when her father passed away and Jones expressed sadness at not being able to be there in his final moments.

“The whole family was there — except for me,” she said.