Patti Smith Paternity Bombshell: Singer Was 'Fully' Convinced She Was Fathered by Her Mother's Uncle

Patti Smith revealed how she uncovered the truth of her biological father's identity in her new memoir, Bread of Angels, released on Tuesday, November 4.

Speaking to People about the discovery, the music legend, 78, shared how the daughter she had put up for adoption when she was just 20 years old helped her find out who he was.

Smith was unaware that the man who had raised her was not her biological father until DNA results confirmed it in 2012. She was compelled to take the test after her mother said that she had to "a story" to tell her "about genetics." Unfortunately, her mother suffered a brain injury and wasn't able to share the findings.

Prior to learning who her real father was, she became convinced she was actually fathered by her great-uncle. The "Gloria" singer revealed that her maternal great-grandmother had led her to believe this.

Smith wrote, "I had all but accepted the fact that I was fathered by my mother’s Uncle Joe, and fully expected the results to confirm it."

But when she and her sister took another DNA test a few years later, the results revealed that her father's side was "100 percent Ashkenazi," meaning her Uncle Joe could not be her father.

With the help of the daughter she placed for adoption, the punk rock icon was able to find his name, Sidney, and a photo.

"I knew he was my father before I saw his face," the author shared.

Unfortunately, Sidney died at an early age, so she wasn't able to connect with him.

Smith told People that she stopped writing Bread of Angels following this revelation, putting the book aside for two years.

"I wasn't sure what to do with this information, because I wanted the book I was writing to be very truthful, and all of a sudden, I had a parallel truth," she explained. "And I felt if I didn't write about it, then it felt like truth was compromised."

The "Because the Night" singer continued, "I wanted to acknowledge him," despite not ever knowing him.

"He's also someone that was barely remembered. He had no children. His surrounding family was small, and he's not someone that would be remembered pretty much by anyone. So I wanted to rectify that," she stated.

The "Just Kids" writer also shared that she was "sad" that the man who had raised her was not her biological father.

"I was sad to not be Grant's biological daughter. I was sad to only have my sister, Linda, as a half sister," she said. "But in the end, it doesn't matter."

"Our love for each other, my love for my father, eclipses blood, and my love for my sister eclipses blood," she concluded.

Bread of Angels was published by Penguin Random House on Tuesday, November 4.