Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979)[2][3][4] is an English musician, songwriter, actor, poet, writer and artist.[5] He is best known for being co-frontman of The Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie band Babyshambles and Peter Doherty and the Puta Madres.
This article is about the musician. For other people with the same name, see Pete Doherty (disambiguation).
Peter Doherty
Peter Doherty
- Musician
- songwriter
- actor
- poet
- writer
- artist
- Vocals
- guitar
- bass guitar
- harmonica
- melodica
- piano
- organ
1997–present
- Rough Trade
- Silvertone
- EMI
- Astralwerks
- Clouds Hill
- High Society
- Strap Originals
Early life[edit]
Pete Doherty was born in Hexham, Northumberland, to a military family. His father, Peter John Doherty, MBE,[6] was a major in the Royal Signals, while his mother, Jacqueline Michels, was a lance-corporal in Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps. His paternal grandfather was an Irish immigrant from Cheekpoint in County Waterford; his maternal grandfather was Jewish, the son of immigrants, Moise Michels and Chana Peress, from France and Russia.[7][8][9] He was brought up a Catholic.[10] He grew up at a number of army garrisons across Britain and continental Europe, with his sisters, AmyJo and Emily.[8] Doherty was the second of the three children.[8] While living in Dorset, aged 11, Doherty began playing guitar, originally in an attempt to impress a female classmate, Emily Baker.[11] He achieved 11 GCSEs,[12] 7 of which were A* grades, at Nicholas Chamberlaine Comprehensive School in Bedworth, North Warwickshire, and four passes at A-Level, two at grade A.[13] At the age of 16, he won a poetry competition and embarked on a tour of Russia organised by the British Council.[14]
After his A-levels, he moved to his grandmother's flat in London – where he said he felt 'destined' to be – and got a job filling graves in Willesden Cemetery, although most of his time was spent reading and writing while sitting on gravestones.[15] In a clip later available on YouTube, an 18-year-old Doherty can be seen in an interview with MTV, on the day of the release of Oasis' third studio album Be Here Now (1997).[16] He attended Queen Mary, a college of the University of London, to study English literature, but left the course after his first year.[15] After leaving university, he moved into a London flat with friend and fellow musician Carl Barât, who had been a classmate of Doherty's older sister at Brunel University.
Personal life[edit]
Relationships and children[edit]
Doherty had a tumultuous relationship with Kate Moss that was frequently covered by the press. They met in January 2005 at Moss' 31st birthday party and had an on-off relationship for several years. Moss had also taken to singing at some of Doherty's shows.[78] On 11 April 2007, Doherty announced Moss as his fiancée during the first of his solo gigs at the Hackney Empire, London, at which Moss also performed.[79][80] Doherty planned to marry Moss during the summer 2007.[81] Moss and Doherty later broke up.[82]
In October 2007, Doherty was briefly engaged to Romanian-born Canadian model Irina Lăzăreanu.[83]
On 28 September 2021, Doherty announced his engagement with his Puta Madres bandmate, Katia de Vidas. The couple married two days later.[84]
Doherty has a son, Astile (born 13 July 2003),[85] with singer Lisa Moorish.[9][72] Doherty's second child, a daughter, Aisling Erin, was born 26 December 2011 to South African model Lindi Hingston.[86] In May 2023, Doherty's third child and second daughter, Billie-May Doherty, was born to Katia de Vidas.[87]
Interests[edit]
Doherty is a socialist. In 2004, he said, "I do have utopian fantasies. A lot of them are more – I wouldn't say spiritual, but they relate more to the imagination and the individual. But for me socialism is a way of trying to put far-fetched ideas into everyday use, trying to find a way to bridge the gap between that fantasy and reality, and reaching out across that gap to the people who can actually do something to make the change."[88] Prior to the 2019 United Kingdom general election Doherty endorsed Jeremy Corbyn while performing and chanted "oh Jeremy Corbyn" and "fuck the Tories".[89]
Doherty is also known to be a devoted follower of Queens Park Rangers Football Club (QPR). As a youth (1995–96) he wrote a fanzine dedicated to the club, entitled "All Quiet on the Western Avenue".[72]
Drug use and legal problems[edit]
Doherty has been repeatedly arrested for drug offences and offences arising from drug use, such as drunk-driving, car theft,[90] and driving with a suspended licence.[91][92] He has pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis and ketamine.[91] His addictions have resulted in jail time and multiple trips to rehabilitation facilities.[92] Drugs had been so important at some points in his life that in his younger days Doherty worked as a drug dealer to pay for his drug habit, as he admitted to author Peter Welsh in his biography.[93] Doherty stated that he had been a rent boy, and that during that time he robbed one of his male clients.[94]
In 2003, while Doherty's first band the Libertines were performing in Japan without him, he broke into Carl Barât's flat and stole various items, including an old guitar and a laptop computer. On 7 September Doherty was sentenced by Judge Roger Davies to six months in prison; the sentence was eventually shortened to two months on appeal. Doherty was released from jail on 8 October 2003.[95][96][97][98]
On 2 February 2005, Doherty was arrested after an altercation with documentary filmmaker Max Carlish, who was making the rockumentary Stalking Pete Doherty about the singer and sold photos of a heroin-smoking Doherty to the tabloids. Doherty and his friend Alan Wass were charged with robbery and blackmail. On 7 February, he was released on bail after his record company Rough Trade put up £150,000 in bonds.[99][100] All charges against him were later dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) due to a lack of evidence.[101]
In October 2007, Doherty explained in an interview with the BBC Radio 4 show Front Row that he had briefly reconciled with his father after three years when his father visited him in rehab, but were estranged again over drugs.[102] Doherty's mother, Jacqueline, has published a book about Doherty and his drug problems entitled Pete Doherty: My Prodigal Son.[72]
In late 2007, a photo was published in several newspapers of Doherty allegedly forcing his pet cat to inhale from a crack pipe.[103][104]
Doherty made another attempt to fight his drug addiction in September 2007, when he underwent drug rehabilitation for six weeks at Clouds House.[105] However, he relapsed in November 2007 following his appearance at the 2007 MTV Europe Music Awards in Munich.[106]
On 8 April 2008, Doherty was jailed for 14 weeks for breaching a probation order after a string of brushes with the law for drugs and driving offences. On 18 April, he was moved to a private area of Wormwood Scrubs prison after learning that fellow inmates were planning to attack him. On 6 May, he was released after his sentence was cut in half and a further 18 days were remitted due to a government plan to reduce overcrowding. He also had another two days off for being in police custody (after serving just over four weeks of a 14-week sentence). He described prison life as "a lot of gangsters and Radio 4" and showed a certificate confirming he had passed a drugs test while inside.[107]
In June 2009, Doherty was arrested in Gloucester and charged with driving dangerously while drunk and in possession of heroin. He was released on a £50,000 bail[108] and after 'guilty' pleas were entered, was asked to return to court on 21 December for sentencing. He was spared jail but was ordered to pay £2,050 in fines, and was banned from driving for 18 months, despite the court hearing Doherty had 21 previous drug offences and six motoring offences. Following his release from court, he was escorted by officers to the nearest police station and re-arrested for possession of a controlled substance,[109] later revealed to be heroin.[110] While Doherty was in Gloucester court on 21 December, heroin fell out of his coat pocket. He was arrested for possession and was convicted for this offence at the same court on 27 January 2010. He was fined £750 and ordered to pay £85 court costs.[111]
In November 2009, Doherty caused a scandal during a concert organized by Bayerischer Rundfunk: He sang the first four words first verse of Deutschlandlied – presumably under the influence of alcohol – and was booed by the audience. The concert and the live radio broadcast were interrupted a short time later.[112][113][114][115] Doherty had tried to continue the concert, but was asked by an organizer to leave the stage. Later, a spokesperson of Doherty explained that Doherty was not aware of the historical background of the line and that he apologized. According to The Guardian, Doherty had earlier "raised a fascist salute as a joke at a concert in Spain last year, and the Libertines were criticised for a 2004 song, Arbeit Macht Frei, a phrase that was emblazoned above the entrances to concentration camps including Auschwitz."[116]
On 11 March 2010, Lowestoft magistrates fined Doherty £500 and banned him from driving for 12 months for allowing his Daimler car to be used uninsured by his manager.[117] On 19 March 2010, he was arrested on suspicion of supplying controlled drugs. He was reported to be on bail until April 2010.[118]
In June 2010, Doherty was refused entry into the United States after spending 10 hours in detention in John F. Kennedy International Airport, despite having a visa.[119][120]
On 18 October 2010, Doherty was summoned to court for cocaine possession. In March 2011, he pleaded guilty to possession, and was granted unconditional bail until sentencing on 20 May.[121] On 20 May, Doherty was sentenced to six months in jail for possession of cocaine following an inquiry into the death of Robin Whitehead.[122]
In October 2014, Doherty was admitted to the Hope Rehab Centre in Thailand.[123] He announced plans to start a foundation with the centre to help struggling addicts.[124] In January 2015, it was announced that Doherty had successfully completed his rehabilitation.
In August 2017, it was revealed that Doherty had been found with heroin in his car while travelling through Italy. He was also found to be driving with an invalid licence. Doherty received a fine.[125]
In a 2019 interview, when asked whether he would like to be drug-free, Doherty responded: "Yes, a part of me would. Just so I can feel things. There are so many people in my life who deserve better. It really is a mental deficiency... I'd be a force to be reckoned with! I'd have money and self-respect and clean hands."[126]
In November 2019, Doherty was fined €10,000 in Paris and given a three-month suspended prison sentence for cocaine possession and affray.[127]
In a 2022 interview with NME, Doherty stated that he had "been clean since December 2019."[128]
Death of Mark Blanco[edit]
In December 2006, actor and magician Mark Blanco died after falling from the first-floor balcony of a flat in Whitechapel belonging to Doherty's friend and literary agent Paul Roundhill, during a party at which Doherty was present.[129] After an altercation, Roundhill set Blanco's hat alight, punched him and evicted him from the flat. Blanco returned to the flat and was shown on CCTV falling to his death less than a minute later.[130] After initial police investigations concluded there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding Blanco's death, a coroner's inquest in October 2007 recorded an open verdict and requested that police reopen the investigation.[131] Doherty's bodyguard at the time, Jonathan Jeannevol, revealed he had confessed to police that he pushed Blanco to his death after Doherty had asked Jeannevol to 'have a word' with him; Jeannevol later retracted his confession.[131] Doherty, who was not called to give evidence at the inquest, was also seen on CCTV footage passing by Blanco's body and jogging away from the scene before an ambulance arrived.[131]
An eight-month BBC Newsnight investigation in 2012 concluded that CCTV evidence suggested Blanco had been dropped from the balcony rather than jumped or slipped.[132] In 2014, Blanco's friend, the comedian Jerry Sadowitz, played a video appeal at the beginning of his UK tour dates from Blanco's mother for the Crown Prosecution Service to reopen the case.[130] In 2023, Channel 4 released a documentary about Blanco's death titled Pete Doherty, Who Killed My Son? [133]