Patti Smith Reveals the Daughter She Placed for Adoption Helped Uncover the Truth About Her Biological Father (Exclusive)

Patti Smith Reveals Family Secrets in New Memoir

Music icon Patti Smith shares previously untold personal stories in her eagerly awaited memoir, Bread of Angels. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, she explains what inspired her to reveal these truths now.

Background and Inspiration

Known as the godmother of punk, Smith broke into the music world in the 1970s with her debut album Horses. She later gained literary acclaim with her National Book Award-winning memoir, Just Kids, published in 2010.

Smith did not originally plan to write another memoir. She said,

“I wrote Just Kids for Robert [Mapplethorpe] because he asked me to, just hours before he died. And I labored on that book for a long time, and did learn how to write a book such as that, but I hadn't planned to write another.”

The Dream That Sparked the Memoir

The idea for Bread of Angels came from a vivid dream Smith had a decade ago. She recounts,

“In my dream, I received a package, and it was a white book, and it had a white ribbon and photographs of dresses that I had owned in my life. My wedding dress, the dress that Robert gave me, the white dress my brother gave me that's on the cover of Wave. And they were all attached to stories about my life, and it was such a beautiful book, and when I woke up, my hands were extended.”

About the Memoir

Bread of Angels unearths family truths that had remained private until now, influenced by the place her adopted daughter held in uncovering facts about Smith's biological father.

Colleen Kratofil, Senior TV Editor at PEOPLE, conducted the interview revealing these insights.

Summary: Patti Smith’s new memoir, inspired by a dream and family revelations, shares deeply personal stories that bring light to her past with honesty and emotion.

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People.com People.com — 2025-11-04

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