Bebe Buell, a former Playboy model, singer, and mother of actress Liv Tyler, has recently spoken out about her past affair with Steven Tyler, the frontman of the legendary rock band Aerosmith. Bebe and Steve’s relationship cover in secrecy for decades, with little information available to the public. However, Bebe has opened up about the details of their romance and provided insight into their complex relationship. Join FactVerse as we explore Buell’s revelations about her affair with Steve and its impact on her daughter.
Bebe Buell
Bebe Buell is an American model and singer born Beverly Lorence Buell on July 14, 1953. Her mother, Dorothea Johnson, founded the Protocol School of Washington, and her father, Harold Lloyd Buell, was a U.S. Navy officer and a veteran of World War II. Bebe’s modeling career started at the age of 17 after Eileen Ford, an executive at a modeling agency, discovered her. She moved to New York City at the age of 18 to further her career.
Bebe rises to fame in 1974 when she features in Playboy magazine as the November Playmate of the Month. She gained additional popularity due to her four-decade-long love relationships with several other well-known rock musicians, including Todd Rundgren. Bebe kicked off her musical journey with a four-song EP on Rhino Records in 1981. The releases by Rick Derringer and Ric Ocasek featured The Cars as her backing band on two of the songs.
B-Sides Bank In 1980
Bebe formed the B-Sides band in 1980, but unfortunately, the group disbanded in 1985. She then started another band, The Gargoyles, in the same year and released several singles. Despite interest from large record companies, The Gargoyles disbands in 1991 when the paternity of her daughter Liv Tyler is in public. In the 1990s, Bebe took a break from performing for six years.
In 2001, Bebe published her autobiography, Rebel Heart: An American Rock and Roll Journey, co-written with Victor Bockris and published by St. Martin’s Press. The book is a massive success, becoming a New York Times bestseller, and its paperback edition releases the following year. In 2022, she published her latest book, Rebel Soul: Musings, Music, & Magic. Unlike its predecessor, Rebel Soul is not a sequel to Rebel Heart but instead an impressionistic scrapbook of her life and experiences.
Apart from her career as a musician and author, Bebe has also managed her daughter Liv Tyler’s career as a model and actress, as well as that of actress Charis Michelsen. She is currently married to musician Jim Wallerstein and splits her time between her homes in New York and Portland, Maine.
Before Liv’s birth
During the 1970s, Playboy was a major publication, and its Playmate models were highly coveted. At the time, Hugh Hefner’s California mansion was frequented by rock stars who enjoyed the party atmosphere, music, and alcohol. Bebe Buell, a Playmate model for November 1974, was one of the girls who lived in the mansion, and her association with Playboy made her a target for attention from rock stars. This led to her becoming involved with numerous celebrity lovers, including Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Jimmy Page.
However, Buell is most famous for her relationship with Todd Rundgren, whom she first met in 1974. They were immediately attracted to each other, and despite both having other partners, they became involved in a tumultuous on-again, off-again romance. While infidelity was an issue for both of them, their creative partnership was productive. Rundgren played a pivotal role in Buell’s career, introducing her to Rick Derringer, who would become her producer.
Bebe Buell Is Pregnant
Todd used to travel frequently, which left Bebe alone in their New York City apartment. During that time, Steven was a well-known figure on the New York scene and often visited Bebe. On one occasion, she was summoned to Steven’s hotel to rescue him from a wild party. He had consumed a potent combination of drugs that had rendered him unable to walk, and he needed someone to physically carry him out. Bebe stepped in and carried the intoxicated rock star to safety using a fireman’s lift. In the summer of 1976, Steven Tyler and Bebe Buell ran away together to Europe. Their romance was merely a short-lived affair based on their intense physical attraction for one another and was never meant to be a long-term commitment.
However, fate had something in store for them that would tie them together forever. Bebe got pregnant that summer, and they soon found out that they were expecting a child. Before that, Bebe had already gone through a miscarriage a few months earlier. Bebe and her longtime on-and-off boyfriend, Todd, tried their best to raise their daughter, Liv Rundgren, as a complete and happy family. Although Liv’s biological father was Steven Tyler, Todd made a pact with Bebe that he would be the child’s real father, no matter what. They chose to keep the truth about Liv’s paternity a secret to preserve their family’s harmony. This was because Steven’s drug addiction made it impossible for him to take care of a young child during that time and for much of the decade.
Discovering her biological father
During the initial ten years of her life, Liv Tyler had been under the impression that Todd Rundgren was her biological father. However, prior to discovering the truth about who her biological father was, Liv had an epiphany. When she was around 8 years old, she first met Steven Tyler at one of Todd Rundgren’s concerts. Steven had bought her a Shirley Temple at the bar, and despite not knowing who he was at the time, Liv immediately developed strong feelings for him. She even bought his posters and talked to them.
In August 1988, she was 11 years old and was looking at a poster of Steven Tyler, the frontman of Aerosmith, on her bedroom wall. She realized that Steven Tyler could be her biological father. Confident about her gut feeling, Liv made the decision to express her concerns to her mother, who felt compelled to be honest. Bebe explained to Liv that she had a brief relationship with Steven Tyler in late 1976 that resulted in her birth in New York City. Despite knowing that he might not be Liv’s biological father, Rundgren still signed her birth certificate, gave her his last name, and raised her as his own.
Given that Steven was rumored to have been a drug addict at the time, Bebe and Todd both made the decision to keep the truth about Liv’s paternity a secret from her. They had made an agreement that Todd would be Liv’s father, and if the issue ever came up, they would tell her when she turned 18.
Aerosmith’s “Crazy”
Upon discovering the truth about her paternity, Liv began to develop a father-daughter relationship with Steven. She eventually switched from Rundgren to Tyler as her last name. In 1994, while still in high school, Liv appeared in Aerosmith’s “Crazy” music video alongside Alicia Silverstone. In 1998, Liv and Steven collaborated professionally on the rock ballad “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing,” which was featured in the movie Armageddon.
Liv attributes her intense connection to Steven to their DNA and genes. She quickly realized why she felt so connected to him, especially since she bore a striking resemblance to both him and his daughter Mia Tyler, who was born just over a year after her. Liv recalls seeing Mia standing at the side of the stage at one of Steven’s concerts and feeling like she was looking at her twin, given their similar appearance and mannerisms.
Moving on
Liv Tyler has explained that she harbors no ill feelings towards her mother for keeping her father’s identity a secret. Liv acknowledges the emotional complexity of her story, considering that her mother was young when she had her, and there was some ambiguity surrounding her biological father. Nevertheless, Liv insists that she was always loved and well taken care of by her family, which was something she cherished
After the blissful reunion of Liv and Steve, Buell and Rundgren eventually parted ways. However, Rundgren still continued to play a significant role in Liv’s life. Liv had the privilege of growing up with a diverse range of parental figures, frequently switching between her mother’s, grandmother’s, and her aunts’, uncles’, and cousins’ homes in Maine. Liv now acknowledges both Rundgren and Steven Tyler as her fathers. She expresses her gratitude towards Rundgren for being a father figure to her. She describes Rundgren as a constant, affectionate, and reliable presence in her life, despite him and her mother no longer being together. Liv has also mentioned that she used to visit Rundgren at his Woodstock home in the 80s.
Liv’s Formative Years
Although Steve wasn’t present during Liv’s formative years, he seems to be making up for that by being present in the lives of his grandchildren. Steven has been an active participant in the lives of Liv’s children, namely Milo, Sailor, and Lula. In fact, Steven and Liv’s sister, Mia, were present when Sailor was born six weeks earlier than expected in 2015, as Dave was on a flight during that time. Liv recalls the experience, expressing her surprise at giving birth with her father and sister present in the room. Steven arrived moments before Sailor’s birth and even helped cut her umbilical cord. It was an unforgettable and surreal moment for Liv.
Although all the grandparents share a close bond with Liv’s kids, Steven’s interaction with them is distinct from that of a typical grandfather. Liv mentions that Steven has a playful and fun demeanor, often making weird noises with his mouth, particularly animal noises. In addition, he is very creative and enjoys adorning himself with various jewelry and accessories, making him a magical wizard-like figure to Liv’s children. Liv describes Steven as sweet, amusing, and an exceptional grandfather.
The revelations of Bebe Buell regarding her relationship with Steven Tyler illuminate an unexplored chapter in the annals of rock music history. Being a model, singer, and former partner of some of the most famous musicians, her story is exceptional. It offers a captivating peek into the intricacies of the music industry during the 1970s and 1980s. Although her fling with Tyler was brief, it led to something much more remarkable than either of them could have ever envisioned—the birth of Liv Tyler, an actress and creative genius.
There you have it. It’s now time to hear from you. Let us know what your favorite part of Bebe’s story is.
