Bob Dylan is not only one of the greatest songwriters of all time, but he's also an artist, and a Nobel prize winner. Despite all of his achievements, one thing he no doubt will be proudest of is his six children.
The "Tambourine Man" singer shares five kids with his ex-wife Sara Lownds, and a daughter with his ex-wife Carolyn Dennis. He said himself that once he had children, "outside of my family, nothing held any real interest for me." His youngest son Jakob told The New York Times that "he never missed a single Little League game I had. He's collected every home run ball I ever hit. And he's still affectionate to me."
© Val WilmerThe singer's life was recently memorialised in biopic A Great Unknown, which has earned several Oscar nods. Here's everything you need to know about the singer's children.
Maria Dylan Himmelman, 63
Maria was born on October 21, 1961 to Sara Lownds and her first husband, Hans. When Bob married Sara, he adopted Maria.
Since then, Maria has avoided the spotlight - but she has certainly taken after her father in terms of her prowess over the written word. A writer, her poetry has been published in the likes of Plume, DIAGRAM, and the New Ohio Review.
She is married to musician Peter Himmelman, with whom she shares four children. According to the singer-songwriter, Maria is a relatively private person: "She has absolutely no desire whatsoever to be in the public eye. In almost 26 years, she never said one word, to anyone, on the record."
Peter said of raising children with the notoriously private 62-year-old: "Anyone who desires to be seen in the public eye has a lack, a need for special attention. I am drawn to that, but even at the apex, I was cognizant of the danger of the whole thing. I would play for thousands of people, but I'd have to shut that off before I walked in the door. Maria would hand me a screaming baby and say, 'What do you want, applause?'"
Jesse Byron Dylan, 59
© Frazer HarrisonBob's oldest son, Jesse, was born on January 6, 1966. His parents divorced when he was 11 years old, but he seems to have maintained a close bond with his father: "My dad's great, he’s a totally kind, wonderful man," he told The Times of London in 2021. "He's been nothing but supportive to me and my brothers and sisters."
Bob took a break from music after the birth of his son, which meant that he only gradually realized his father was a superstar. "He's very normal," Jesse explained. "None of that came home with him."
Jesse attended New York University where he studied film. After that, he got his start directing music videos for artists like Tom Petty and Elvis Costello. Famously, he directed will.i.am's Emmy-winning music video for "Yes We Can", which has been recognized as one of the most influential political ads of all time.
Jesse has also directed feature-length films, including the comedy Kicking and Screaming starring Will Ferrell in 2005.
He is married to actress Susan Traylor, with whom he shares two children.
Anna Dylan, 57
Sara and Bob welcomed Anna on July 11, 1967. Like her sister Maria, Anna prefers to stay out of the public eye so not much is known about her.
Sam Dylan, 56
© @stacyjdylan InstagramThe fourth child of Bob and Sara, Sam was born July 30, 1968. He typically keeps his life private, although his wife Stacy updates fans on social media about what he's up to. According to Stacy, the couple met around 1988 at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Together, they share two children - Jonah and Lowell. Their younger son was diagnosed with Crohn's disease as a child, which led Stacy to create the nonprofit, Cure Crohn's and Colitis.
Jakob Luke Dylan, 55
© Kevin WinterPerhaps Bob's most famous child, Jakob Dylan is his youngest son, born December 9, 1969. According to the singer-songwriter, he had a relatively normal life growing up: "It really didn't seem that big a deal at the time. I had friends. I had a home. I had a family."
Jakob grew up loving music, although he was more inspired by English rock than he was his father. Listening to The Clash, The Jam, and The Buzzcocks, he was inspired to play music - and learn the guitar - by The Clash. While initially he studied at Parson's School of Design, he dropped out to pursue music properly.
He is the lead singer and songwriter of The Wallflowers, who have won two Grammy Awards for their single "One Headlight" in 1996, something that his father was incredibly proud of. "I'm proud of his accomplishments," Bob told USA Today in 1997. "He's still young, and he's come a long way in a short time.”
But his son's success wasn't without concern: "I worried about him when he started out. I just didn't want to see him get roughed up. This business can throw you into deep water."
Jakob shares four children with his wife Paige, a screenwriter he married in 1992.
Desiree Gabrielle Dennis-Dylan, 38
© @desidennisdylanBob welcomed his youngest daughter Desiree Gabrielle "Desi" Dennis-Dylan on January 31, 1986 just six months after marrying his former backup singer, Carolyn Dennis. The couple kept their relationship and daughter private until she was a teenager, with her identity finally being revealed in Howard Sounes' biography of Bob, Down the Highway.
While the book alleged that Bob had neglected his youngest daughter, his ex-wife Carolyn batted away the claims. "To portray Bob as 'hiding his daughter' is just malicious and ridiculous," she said in a statement. "That is something he would never do."
Desi has developed a love for performing, both onstage and on screen. She's worked with the likes of Chaka Khan and Dick Van Dyke, and acted in TV shows like Modern Family and NCIS.
In 2014, Desi walked down the aisle with her wife, Kayla Sampson. The couple had an intimate wedding of around 100 guests at Long Beach, California, and while Desi's mom performed at the nuptials, Bob reportedly did not attend.
There were no hard feelings over this and in 2021, Desi wrote of her dad: "He's my favorite writer, one of my favorite storytellers (he and my mom are tied for first place), my favorite person to make laugh, one of the most brilliant yet most humble men I’ve ever known and this world is quite lucky to have him."
