Sean Ono Lennon, 50, has become a father for the first time.
The musician and his partner Charlotte Kemp Muhl, 39, announced the birth of their son Aurelius in a joint Instagram post on Tuesday evening, sharing a photo of the newborn that quickly drew congratulations from a circle of famous friends. The couple’s caption struck a playful tone, noting they had “created a human bean” before revealing the name: “his name is Aurelius, thank you!”
The Latin-derived choice carries weighty historical echoes. Aurelius comes from the word for “golden” or “gilded,” and most prominently belonged to Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the Roman emperor-philosopher whose reign marked the final phase of the Pax Romana, the empire’s roughly two-century span of relative peace.
Patti Smith was among the first to respond, writing, “Oh Sean, I’m so happy for you both.” Paris Hilton added her own congratulations with a simple “Congratulations on your new baby.” Willow Smith’s reaction came in emoji form—a crying face, a heart and prayer hands strung together in the comments.
Muhl offered a more unfiltered glimpse into new motherhood in a separate post of her own. She shared several photos showing her walking through water with Aurelius strapped to her chest in a baby harness, plus one of him asleep, then captioned it with a characteristically offbeat meditation on biology and exhaustion:
“Am convinced DNA is agentic alien quaternary code.
“The sleep-deprivation only adds to the surrealism… Burping technique tips welcome.
“Been playing him Aphex Twin and Stravinsky. Meconium is crazy.”
The couple’s path to parenthood followed a courtship that began at Coachella in 2005. Sean told MusicRadar in 2010 that their early connection unfolded largely through written correspondence. “We developed our relationship through writing letters, postcards and emails, and it made our relationship stronger in the long run,” he said. They began dating in 2007.
Sean, the only child of late Beatle John Lennon and artist Yoko Ono, now 93, has built his own career across multiple roles. He has released four solo albums, five collaborative projects with his mother, and three with psych-rock group the Claypool Lennon Delirium. His production credits include Lana Del Rey’s 2017 album Lust for Life, on which he also duets with her on the track Tomorrow Never Came.
In a 2023 interview, Sean spoke about how his father’s musical legacy shaped his own path. “I always felt like music was a way of getting closer to him,” he said. He also addressed his role in shielding Ono from media attention, noting that she no longer wishes to engage with the press.
The birth marks John Lennon’s first grandchild, extending a family line that has remained closely watched by fans since the former Beatle’s death in 1980.