Entertainment

Who was Peaches Geldof, Model & Mother of Two?

by Anna Klassen

Sunday afternoon, Peaches Geldof posted videos and photos of her infant sons, Pheadra and Astala, during bathtime, eating dinner on her bed, and gleefully playing with their toys. Monday morning, the 25-year-old mother of two was found dead in Wrotham, Kent. The cause of death has not yet been revealed, but was described by authorities as "unexplained and sudden." Peaches' father, Bob Geldof, released a statement to confirm the news, saying: "Peaches has died. We are beyond pain. She was the wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us." And for those who knew of Geldof and her existence in the tabloid-centric world, "wild" and "bonkers" seem appropriately fitting. But for those just tuning in, who was the British socialite? Was there more to her story than the hard-partying ways the headlines so often illuminated?

Geldof was born in 1989 to rockstar dad Bob, and British television personality Paula Yates. She had three sisters — Fifi Trixibelle Geldof, Pixie Geldof, and half sister Tiger Lily Hutchence Geldof. By the time she was 15, Geldof had emerged into the media world as a paid writer for Elle Girl. In 2005, Geldof wrote and starred in her own TV program, Peaches Geldof: Teenage Mind. And the next year, Geldof was placed in the top 10 fashion icons of the year, according to Tatler. She was the youngest name on the list of fashion-forward figures. Her fashion and editorial career continued with more television programs, and cat-walks booked. Fiercely independent, the teenage writer landed jobs at The Daily Telegraph, Nylon, and The Guardian. By the time she left home, Geldof was already an accomplished writer, with more clips under her belt than most her age. But her seemingly tough work ethic clashed with the public's vision of young Geldof.

At 18 Geldof left her father's home to marry Chester French musician Max Drummey. The pair flew to Vegas and offered their vows at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Vegas, but Drummey filed for divorce a year later, citing irreconcilable differences. In 2012 Geldof married S.C.U.M. lead singer Thomas Cohen in the same church her parents married in 26 years earlier, and her mother's funeral was held in when Geldof was just 11. The same year, she had her first child with Cohen, Astala Dylan Willow (who is nearly two years old), followed by Phaedra Bloom Forever, born on the birthday of Geldof's late mother, who would have been 54 that day.

Geldof found a comfortable home in the spotlight, with controversial views on everything from the latest fashion trends to her religion. In 2009, Geldof came out as a Scientologist, saying: "I felt I was lacking something when I didn't have a faith. In the end, all it's about is making yourself a better person...My father says anything that makes me feel like a better person and makes me happy is a good thing."

Geldof leaves behind her husband and two small kids, children who will likely only remember their mother through photos and videos, children too young to understand the significance of their mother's death. Peaches Geldof, while constantly accosted in the media's unforgiving spotlight, cannot be labeled as someone who did not care deeply for her children. Just look at her twitter bio — an illustration of her children with the caption, "Waging a never ending war against dirty nappies...". Or her instagram account, which exudes only love for her family — her late mother, her husband, the family pets, and most of all, her two smiling boys.