Peaches Geldof

Peaches Geldof
Born	Peaches Honeyblossom Geldof (1989-03-13) 13 March 1989 London, England
Died	7 April 2014(2014-04-07) (aged 25) Wrotham, Kent, England
Occupation(s)	Columnist, television personality, fashion model
Years active	2004–2014
Known for	Writing for Elle Girl UK, The Daily Telegraph; TV presenting; modelling

Peaches Honeyblossom Geldof (13 March 1989 – 7 April 2014) was a British columnist, television figure, and fashion model.

Raised in London, Geldof attended Queen's College, London following her parents' separation in 1996. She eventually relocated to New York City, where she contributed as a writer for the UK version of Elle Girl magazine. In 2006, she also created and produced TV programs aired in the United Kingdom. Later in her career, she concentrated mainly on modelling and television work, becoming a mother to two sons born in 2012 and 2013.

Geldof was discovered deceased at her residence on 7 April 2014; an inquest determined the cause of death to be a heroin overdose.

Early life

Born on 13 March 1989 in London, Peaches Geldof was the second daughter of Bob Geldof and Paula Yates, and granddaughter of Hughie Green. Her siblings included two sisters, Fifi Trixibelle Geldof and Little Pixie Geldof, along with a half-sister, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence Geldof.

Her upbringing took place in Chelsea, London, and Faversham, Kent. She attended Queen's College in London before moving out at eighteen to rent an apartment in Islington. After completing her A-Levels, she was accepted to Queen Mary University of London to study English literature and journalism but postponed her studies to move to New York City with her then-husband Max Drummey.

Career

From April 2004 until the magazine ceased publication in October 2005, Geldof wrote a column for the UK edition of Elle Girl. Between ages 14 and 17, she contributed weekly socio-political columns for The Daily Telegraph and penned articles for The Guardian.

In 2005, she wrote and presented the documentary Peaches Geldof: Teenage Spirit, followed by Peaches Geldof: Teen America on Sky One in 2006. That same year, she was ranked seventh among Tatler's Top Ten Fashion Icons as its youngest entrant. In 2007, FHM readers voted her the 53rd sexiest woman worldwide.

Geldof made her runway debut for PPQ during London Fashion Week in September 2007 and became the face of Australian fashion brand Dotti. On 19 October 2008, MTV One premiered her reality TV series Peaches: Disappear Here, which chronicled her efforts to launch a youth-focused magazine.

In 2009, she signed a lucrative modelling deal as the face of Miss Ultimo but was dropped in 2010 after nude photographs and allegations of drug use appeared online. Geldof denied these accusations; however, Michelle Mone, head of Ultimo, stated that continuing their association was untenable due to the brand’s young female demographic.

In 2011, Geldof hosted a six-episode ITV2 series titled OMG! with Peaches Geldof, a magazine-style chat show featuring audience interaction.

Personal life

Peaches Geldof was the second daughter born to Irish singer-songwriter and activist Bob Geldof and Welsh television presenter and author Paula Yates.

At age eleven in 2000, Geldof’s mother passed away from a heroin overdose. Reflecting on this loss during a 2013 interview with Elle, she revealed that fully coming to terms with her mother’s death did not occur until her mid-teens.

On 5 August 2008, Geldof married American musician Max Drummey from the band Chester French in Las Vegas. The couple parted amicably in February 2009; Drummey filed for divorce in April 2011 citing irreconcilable differences.

In 2010, Geldof briefly cohabited with Christina Curry—daughter of former MTV personality Adam Curry—with plans for an MTV reality show that were ultimately abandoned.

Geldof became engaged to Thomas Cohen, frontman of London band S.C.U.M, in June 2011. They wed on 8 September 2012 at the church in Davington, Kent—the same venue where her parents married and where her mother’s funeral took place. The couple had two sons born in consecutive years: 2012 and 2013.

During a 2009 interview, Geldof identified as a Scientologist and attended the International Association of Scientologists’ silver jubilee that year. Subsequently, she explored Judaism and showed interest in Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.), describing it as a pragmatic spiritual system; she bore an "OTO" tattoo on her forearm. By 2013, she considered herself a Thelemite follower of Aleister Crowley’s religion Thelema.

In 2013, Geldof publicly apologized after inadvertently disclosing information that could have led to identifying victims linked to former Lostprophets frontman and convicted child sex offender Ian Watkins.

Death

On 7 April 2014, Geldof was discovered deceased at her residence in Wrotham, Kent. Authorities recovered drug-related items at the location. Bob Geldof remembered her as "the wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us." Her husband, Thomas Cohen, expressed his commitment to raising their two sons while keeping their mother’s memory alive in their hearts.

The funeral took place on 21 April 2014 at St Mary Magdalene and St Lawrence Church in Davington, Kent—the same venue where both she and her parents had been married, and where her mother’s funeral was also held. The intimate ceremony was attended by family members, close friends, and prominent individuals from the UK's entertainment and fashion sectors.

Inquest

The inquest into Geldof’s passing commenced on 1 May 2014 at Gravesend Old Town Hall. On 23 July, the coroner concluded that opioid intoxication was the cause of death, delivering a drug-related death verdict without any indication of intentional harm. Geldof had been undergoing methadone treatment for over two years but had returned to heroin use in February 2014; authorities found 6.9 grams of heroin in her home. On 3 July 2015, Kent Police officially closed the investigation after depleting all possible leads to identify the source of the Class A substance.

External links

• The Guardian profile page