Childhood and Family Life
Duncan Jones is the only child from the marriage of musician David Bowie (born David Robert Jones) and his first wife, Mary Angela Barnett, an American former model. He was born at Bromley Hospital in South London. His birth prompted Bowie to write the song "Kooks" for his 1971 album Hunky Dory. Jones is the half-brother of Alexandria "Lexi" Jones (born 2000), from his father's second marriage to the fashion model Iman, and of Stacia Larranna Celeste Lipka (born 1980), from his mother's relationship with musician Drew Blood (né Andrew Lipka). He also has a stepsister, Zulekha Haywood (born 1978), who is the daughter of Iman and former NBA basketball player Spencer Haywood, Iman's second husband.
As a child, Jones spent time growing up in Berlin, London and Vevey, Switzerland where he attended the first and second grade at the Commonwealth American School in Lausanne. When the Bowies divorced in February 1980, David Bowie was granted custody of 9-year-old Jones (who was then known as Zowie), and he visited his mother on his school vacations. At age 14, he enrolled in the Scottish boarding school, Gordonstoun.
Around age 12, Zowie decided that he preferred to be called "Joey", and used this nickname for some time until shortening it to "Joe" in his later teen years. The press reported that he went by "Joe" in 1992 when attending his dad's wedding to Iman (he was the best man). Whilst growing up, Jones dreamed of becoming a professional wrestler, and his father frequently praises what he called Jones' "natural strength".
According to the Newham Recorder, he reverted to his birth name, Duncan Jones, around the age of 18.
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