
The music industry always has newcomers emerging, but sometimes artists have familiar last names or faces. That’s because celebrities like Elvis Presley and Billy Ray Cyrus raised their children while they were still in the spotlight themselves, also naturally gifting them with talent similar to that of their parents (Presley’s daughter is singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley; Cyrus’ is “Wrecking Ball” singer Miley Cyrus).
Debbie Reynolds was one of those stars, as she was the mother of late Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher, who died Tuesday after suffering a heart attack. Reynolds, who was an actress (and singer) herself, died after suffering a stroke just one day after her daughter’s death. After the loss of such a talented pair, we wanted to honor all the related celebrity parent/child duos that have some relation to the music industry.
Take a look at 23 of these famous family members below.
Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher
Reynolds’ success as an actress in films like Singin’ in the Rain and Bundle of Joy rubbed off on Fisher, who picked up acting in high school and landed her most notable role, Princess Leia in Star Wars, in 1977. Both Reynolds and Fisher also dabbled in singing during their careers, with Reynolds even landing on several Billboard charts, including the Billboard 200 twice. The love for acting was passed down even further in the family, too, as Fisher’s daughter is Scream Queens actress Billie Lourd.
Alan Thicke and Robin Thicke
Despite the fact that Alan’s career was more focused on acting, it’s not totally strange that his son pursued a career in music instead. Alan, who died at age 69 on Dec. 13, wrote a number of theme songs for several TV and game shows, including Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, Celebrity Sweepstakes, Blank Check and the original theme to Wheel of Fortune. He and Robin had a close relationship, as the “Blurred Lines” singer often posted pictures of his dad and called him “the best man I ever knew” upon Alan’s death.
Elvis Presley and Lisa Marie Presley
With two famous parents, it was almost inevitable that Lisa Marie would end up in the spotlight herself. Although Elvis never got to see her pursue her own singing career, he’d be happy to know she opted to pursue music like her dad — even though her success came nowhere close to her hitmaking legend of a father.
Will Smith and Jaden & Willow Smith
Not only did the multifaceted Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star and rapper pass down his talents to his kin — he spawned two kids with several skills. Both Jaden and Willow have worked alongside their dad on the big screen, with the Smith siblings also contributing to the music world. Between Will’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” Willow’s “Whip My Hair” and Jaden’s guest spot on Justin Bieber‘s “Never Say Never,” this family is a force to be reckoned with.
Billy Ray Cyrus and Miley Cyrus
After establishing their family ties on screen in the Disney channel TV show Hannah Montana, the father/daughter duo teamed up for the song “Ready, Set, Don’t Go” on Billy Ray’s 10th studio album Home at Last. While Miley has since taken a poppier, twerk-filled route from her country roots, she and Billy Ray seem to still hold their family ties close.
Quincy Jones and Rashida Jones
While Rashida is primarily known as an actress (perhaps best recognized as Parks and Recreation‘s Ann Perkins), her multi-talented father clearly taught her well. Like her dad, Rashida has served as a film producer and has had some success musically, providing vocals on several songs, including many on Maroon 5‘s Songs About Jane.
Rob Schneider and Elle King
With different last names, careers and hair colors, it’s not immediately obvious that Schneider and King are related. Plus, it was King’s stepfather who inspired her to become a musician, not her Saturday Night Live star dad. Nevertheless, clearly talent runs in the blood.
Cissy Houston and Whitney Houston
It’s hard for anyone to contest a career like Whitney’s, but her mom did a pretty good job at holding her own. Before her daughter became the legend she was (and still is nearly five years after her tragic death in 2012), Cissy provided background vocals for the likes of Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, winning two Grammys for her solo work.
Ozzy Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne
As anyone who has watched The Osbournes knows, Kelly had a punk-rock look about her reminiscent of her dad’s, even taking after her father with her own music career. But now that the Black Sabbath frontman’s daughter has moved away from music and became a fashion correspondent and actress (with purple hair), she and her father couldn’t seem less alike.
Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross
Diana may be most acclaimed for her time with the Supremes and subsequent solo career, but she did also have an acting career, which is the route her second-oldest daughter Tracee — who currently stars as Anthony Anderson’s wife on Black-ish — followed.
Steven Tyler and Liv Tyler
The Aerosmith frontman’s daughter didn’t follow in her dad’s musical footsteps, but Liv’s acting career led to a few collaborations with her dad, including an appearance in his band’s video for “Crazy.” Plus, Liv proved that her dad’s vocal skills weren’t totally lost on her when she starred in an ad for Givenchy, for which she sang a cover of INXS’ “Need You Tonight.”
Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli
Even with very different looks and last names, both Garland and Minnelli established themselves as Hollywood legends during their careers, despite Garland’s being cut short from an accidental drug overdose. Minnelli has since done her mother proud, becoming one of the select stars to earn a Tony, Grammy, Emmy and Oscar.
Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra
All of Frank’s children took after their superstar father and had their own singing careers, but Nancy was perhaps the most successful of the three kids (despite the fact that her brother shared the same name as their dad). Like her father, Nancy landed several songs on the Billboard charts, including her chart-topper “These Boots Are Make For Walkin’.”
Lionel Richie and Nicole Richie
After whipping up classics like “All Night Long” and “Hello” prior to adopting Nicole, Lionel probably didn’t expect his adopted daughter to take the reality television route in her early 20s (RIP, The Simple Life). But Nicole has since become a successful fashion designer, even expressing that she’d like to follow her dad’s direction and eventually record an album of her own.
Linda Davis and Hillary Scott
Music has been instilled in Lady Antebellum’s frontwoman from the start, as her mom Davis held her own successful country career prior to Lady A’s existence (even winning a Grammy for her duet with Reba McEntire, “Does He Love You”). After Scott joined her mom onstage for a Christmas show, she knew she also wanted to pursue music — which obviously worked out swimmingly. The two joined forces again recently, along with Scott’s father Lang and sister Rylee, forming the now Grammy-nominated group Hillary Scott & The Scott Family.
Paul McCartney and Stella McCartney
Despite having a Beatle as a father, Stella apparently never found interest in being a musician herself and instead found a love for fashion design as a teenager. But even though she didn’t take after her dad’s musical chops, Stella made a pretty big name for herself in her own right with a successful self-titled fashion line. She’s also had a brush with music with her career, as she’s designed costumes for Madonna and Annie Lennox.
Bob Dylan and Jakob Dylan
The Nobel Prize-winning songwriter, artist and writer has set a high bar as a rock and folk legend, among numerous other things. His son Jakob has followed in his infamous footsteps as the lead singer of The Wallflowers, whose debut album peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and delivered hits like “One Headlight,” which won a Grammy.
Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole
Nat’s successful singing career inspired his daughter to take the same path. Although Natalie lost her crooner father when she was just 15, she dubbed in his voice for several tracks throughout her career, two of which won Grammy Awards. Even without her father’s assistance, Natalie held an admirable career herself, winning a total of nine Grammys before her sudden death on New Year’s Eve 2015.
Naomi Judd and Wynonna Judd
It’s hard to think of one without the other, as their initial rise to country music fame stemmed from their mother-daughter group The Judds. Among numerous awards, the duo also had 20 Top 10 hits, and Wynonna eventually continued her career as a successful solo-country singer.
Ravi Shankar and Norah Jones
A knack for music must have been in the genes for this family. Ravi Shankar was a renowned classical Hindustani musician who also aided in popularizing the use of traditional Indian instruments like the rudra venna in pop music throughout the 60s. And though his daughter Norah found fame within a different genre, her musical prowess shines through her vocals and jazz piano skills, earning her 10 Grammys and the ability to work with artists like Ray Charles and Willie Nelson.
Lenny Kravitz and Zoe Kravitz
Known for his multifaceted musical styles, incorporating rock, R&B, blue, funk and more, Lenny Kravitz was drawn to music from a young age. He established himself in the industry with hits like “Are You Gonna Go My Way?” and writing the song “Flowers for Zoe” about his daughter. Equally as talented, Zoe is a triple threat at only the age of 28 as an actress, musician and model, appearing in movies such as Divergent and Mad Max: Fury Road. Lenny has also flourished as an actor appearing as Cinna in The Hunger Games among others.
Phil Collins and Lily Collins
Perhaps one of the more surprising father/daughter pairs (they hardly look related!) Lily definitely inherited talent from her dad — just not singing. Although she seemingly hasn’t shown the world her singing voice, Lily doesn’t really need to pursue a different path, as she has landed roles in several TV shows and movies, along with several modeling gigs.
Berry Gordy and Redfoo & Rockwell
When you’re the founder of Motown Records, of course your children are going to have some sort of tie to music when they grow up. While not all eight of Gordy’s kids had music careers, two of them are pretty recognizable: Redfoo, otherwise known as half of party-song-crafting duo LMFAO, and Rockwell, who is known for his creepy-yet-catchy stalker hit “Somebody’s Watching Me.”