The explosive excitement of life in the Rolling Stones’ circle influenced Theodora Richards’ early years, giving her a backstage pass to rock ‘n’ roll history. Her story, which is reminiscent of one of the band’s ballads, is captivatingly chaotic and effortlessly flashy, yet at times deeply depressing. She is the daughter of the unstoppable Keith Richards. Theodora was born in 1985, two years after Keith married model Patti Hansen.
She inherited her mother’s appearance and her father’s rebellious nature. She entered the modeling business at the age of sixteen, joining her sister Alexandra. She would later be seen by the world fronting Tommy Hilfiger campaigns, appearing in Vogue, and going out with fellow Stones heiress Georgia May Jagger.
She has recently branched out from her design job to broadcasting, hosting a monthly show on Sirius XM called “Off The Cuff,” where she discusses her varied musical preferences. This is a clear indication of the impact her well-known father has had on her. Growing up under the spotlight of her father, however, was frequently a far cry from the glossy perfection of a magazine layout, even with the glitz and the cadence of boisterous riffs.
Though not for the reasons many had hoped, Theodora Richards followed in her father’s legendary footsteps in 2011. With an arrest that mirrored the rebellious rhythm of rock ‘n’ roll legend (most especially, Keith’s own notorious drug bust in 1977), she made headlines as a wild horse herself. In the trendy, artistic neighborhood of SoHo in Manhattan, Theodora was taken into custody after police discovered her writing a graffiti message on the wall of St. Anthony’s Convent. By writing “T-Heart-A” in red paint, which stands for “Theodora loves Alexandra,” the 25-year-old was referring to her younger sister.
If not for the subsequent finding of marijuana and a few oxycodone pills in her purse, this may have been harmless enough. According to reports, she mocked the police, “I hope I don’t get into trouble for this,” Fortunately, prosecutors showed compassion and dropped the charges against the model because she had no past criminal history, and she was sentenced to two days of community service.
It was discovered that Theodora Richards had sought assistance by signing up for a drug treatment program following her encounter with the law. When prosecutors decided to withdraw the charges against her, this improved her case, but it wasn’t the last time she sought help from a rehab center. The child of rock royalty entered herself into Connecticut’s Silver Hill Hospital in 2015 to deal with her drug addiction. “She was in there for drugs,” a source told The Daily News. Her attitude fluctuated daily at first, but she eventually appeared to be in a really joyful and upbeat state. According to reports, she chose to maintain a low profile during her visit and made no reference to her well-known ancestry. They went on to say: Her father was not mentioned, she remained silent about who she was, and I doubt anyone recognized her.
Given that her father has embodied the hedonistic extremes of rock ‘n’ roll throughout his career, it may not be unexpected that Theodora turned to narcotics. He told The Telegraph that he has now given up his vices, but his narrative with drugs is just as much a part of it as his music. He stated: “I still like a drink occasionally — because I’m not going to heaven any time soon — but apart from that, I’m trying to enjoy being straight.” It appears that rock’s eternal enfant terrible is discovering new methods to satisfy his cravings.
It didn’t take long for a young Theodora’s classmates to pick up on the tabloid stories about her father’s well-known infidelity. She recounted a frightening experience from her school days in an interview with The Times, following Jay Leno’s joke about Keith Richards purchasing drug tests for his kids. After watching the show, a classmate allegedly made fun of her the next day by making a remark about her alleged “track marks—a reference to injecting narcotics. I looked him up in the library because I knew it was a reference to Dad, even though I didn’t understand what that meant,” she added.
Theodora discovered the full scope of her father’s wild years in the spotlight at the age of eleven. She put together the specifics of his incarceration and the sobering facts of heroin use. She told the newspaper, “I didn’t talk to him about it right away, but after that, I became very protective of my family.”
Theodora Richards’ naturally slender figure and rock royalty background looked designed to fit the fashion industry’s standards during the height of the early 2000s “heroin chic” trend and the retroactively called “indie sleaze” era. However, this period was also marked by a severe cultural obsession with women’s bodies, and Theodora was not exempt from this same rigorous scrutiny.
I’m not with a modeling agency; if someone really wants to find me, they can” is how she explained her decision to Reserved magazine. Despite not being spotted by an agency, she continued to book modeling gigs, but her increased visibility brought with it more scrutiny, with shock and concern over her eerily thin appearance. The media was quick to comment on her appearance and make health-related assumptions when she was seen in New York (for example, at photo sessions in the Meatpacking District or Chanel’s “The Little Black Jacket” show at the Swiss Institute). The constant scrutiny of the public simply added to the strains of a fashion business obsessed with unachievable standards for the rocker’s daughter.
Regarding his unusually blended family dynamic, Keith Richards has been candid. “I love my families, I have several — extended,” he said to The Telegraph. Additionally, they all adore one another. Theodora has a half-sister named Angela from Keith’s relationship with actress Anita Pallenberg, as well as a half-brother named Malron and her sister Alexandra described above. The huge Richards clan appears to be close-knit despite their diverse backgrounds. However, the family had an unfathomable loss just before Theodora was born, so her appearance years later felt miraculous. Tara Jo Jo Gunne Richards, Keith and Anita’s son, was born in 1976. Tara tragically died of sudden infant death syndrome at the age of two months.
When Keith heard the heartbreaking news, he was on tour with the Rolling Stones and decided to perform that evening as a way to deal with his loss. “If I didn’t go on the stage, I would probably have shot myself,” he later admitted in his “Desert Island Discs” radio show. Later, Keith collaborated with journalist James Fox on his biography, “Life,” revealing to Rolling Stone magazine that the guitarist at first found it difficult to talk about the loss. “The first time we discussed that, Keith was unable to speak more than five words,” he claimed. Then we knew we needed to return to it. He admitted to me that he considered it once a week. As the tears flow, Tara’s passing continues to be an irreversible pain for the Richards family.