Paternity DNA Tests on Historical and Celebrity Figures

12 Aug 2017

DNA testing is a definite and conclusive means of establishing biological relationships between people. The number of DNA tests, for example paternity DNA tests and ancestry DNA testing,  is constantly on the increase.  We hear more and more about DNA testing and its vast applicability in the media as ancient old remains are identified, links are made between historical figures, and paternity suits are solved amongst actors, singers and the likes.

Over the past years, these 5 cases have featured extensively on the news and we have provided you with a summary on each of these interesting cases.

James Browns Paternity DNA test

James Brown, the “Godfather of soul”, was a highly influential figure who has left an indelible mark in the history of music and whose unique and fluid style of dancing became his very trademark. After his death in 2006, a number of paternity disputes arose and several alleged people came forward claiming to be the children or have children of James Brown. The former backup singer for Brown, Tomi Rae Hynie, has brought forward the paternity claim saying that her 6 year old child is the biological son of the “Godfather of Soul”. Trustees handling all the singers assets have denied the claims on the basis that the son and mother are not anywhere included in the child’s will; thus, given this dispute between the two parties, solving the issue must rely on a DNA paternity test. The paternity test proved that Brown was the father and the judge allocated a quarter of Brown’s trust to Rae Hynie.

Eddie Murphy and X-spice girls child.

Eddie Murphy (b 1961-), who has made a name as one of the greatest Hollywood comic actors with films such as Doctor Dolittle, was in paternity dispute with British pop star Mel B. Melanie Brown insisted the her daughter Iris, was the daughter of Murphy as the two stars had had a relationship for a time. Murphy told reporters he would never acknowledge the child as his unless a blood test proved otherwise. A DNA paternity test confirmed that Murphy was Iris’ father; however, Melanie says that Murphy has not sought a relationship with his child and has not contacted to see her. Murphy already has 7 other children and Iris is his eighth one. The paternity test results will ensure Iris gets her rights as Murphy’s daughter.

Anna Nicole Smith

Anna Nicole Smith’s name took off when she was selected as a Playboy girl by Hue Heffner in 1992. Following this, she married J. Howard Marshall when she was 26 and he 86 years old. Howard J Marshall was the oil billionaire and Smith was able to live an extravagant life blowing thousands of dollars a day on frivolities. After his death, Marshall’s son and Smith went through a bitter battle over his estate. Smith was left nothing in her husband’s will. Smith’s attorney through her legal battle was Howard K. Stern, a man who she also had a relationship with. Smith’s pregnancy, Stern claimed, coincided timely with their relationship and thus, he was sure to be the child’s father. The birth certificate recorded Stern as the father. However, her X-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, insisted that he was father to the child and not Stern. Such an issue warranted a DNA paternity test to solve it. A paternity DNA test proved that Birkhead was the biological father.

The French Queen: Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette was the wife of Louis the XVI who resided in the French capital city of Versailles. DNA analysts wanted to establish whether the son of the monarchs had in fact died in a prison in France or had, as some people claimed, been taken away to a safe place and escaped the gory French revolution. The latter theory would mean that some direct descendents may still be alive today. The DNA testing involved taking samples of DNA from the heart and aorta of the alleged ten year old king and compare it with living and dead relatives of the royal blood line. The idea was to establish whether this heart belonged to Louis XVII as has been maintained for centuries. Although the DNA fragments were not in the best of conditions, they proved enough to draw up a DNA profile. Moreover, the dauphin’s DNA profile was compared to the DNA profile of Marie Antoinette, his mother, which was taken from a hair sample of the queen in what is known as an MtDNA test (mitochondrial DNA test). This test would establish whether the maternal line of the little king to be. The test proved that Marie Antoinette was the biological mother of dauphin and thus, that this heart was the heart of Louis XVII

The American president: Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson is momentous figure in the history of the USA and has left an indelible mark on the American constitution with his Declaration of Independence. Though Thomas Jefferson spoke out against slavery he still, nevertheless, owned a number of them and likely suffered the turmoil of doing that which might have gone against his principles. Through his work, his stance on the black race still transpired; Jefferson considered black people to be inferior to whites. There have been many accounts and speculations that Jefferson had had an affair with one of his slaves, Sally Hemings and that he had fathered children from her. Jefferson was against marriages of mixed race and this issues means his writings and his life style diverged radically. DNA testing, specifically Y-chromosome DNA testing, was carried out with samples of Thomas Jefferson and his children and people who claimed to be his decedents. Results proved that there where biological relationships, and the Jefferson was likely the father of Eston Hemings Jefferson. The DNA investigation also involved Jefferson’s younger brother, who may also be the father of the five Hemings children. The case requires further DNA investigation.

DNA testing is reliable and can solve the vast majority of cases that involve including or excluding genetic relationships between people, such as is done in a paternity DNA test. DNA can often be extracted even from ancient remains using highly sophisticated genetic testing methods. Our DNA contains a wealth of information about us and DNA analysts can make links with between ancestors, determine who unidentified remains belong to and a myriad of other details and information.

More celebrity DNA tests

Still one of the great hollywood stars, Keanu Reeves, the Canadian American actor, famous for films like the Matrix is just one of the many who have taken a DNA paternity test. Karen Sala claimed that Reeves and herself where friends as kids and that he fathered a child from her. Read the full story.

The British theatre director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, 54, is once again amidst speculations of being the son of the great American director Orson Welles and took a DNA paternity test to confirm paternity of Welles. Read the full story.