Tragic situation that led Liv Tyler’s mum to hide the identity of her biological dad

Liv Tyler’s family story has long been one of Hollywood’s most unusual, with the actor growing up surrounded by music legends, fame, and a very complicated secret.

The Lord of the Rings film star was raised believing musician Todd Rundgren was her dad, with her mum Bebe Buell having been in a relationship with him around the time Liv was born.

For years, Liv went by the name Liv Rundgren, and Todd remained a steady father figure in her life. Behind the scenes, though, there was another side to the story involving Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, who Liv later discovered was actually her biological father.

The reason Bebe hid Steven’s identity from her daughter was reportedly linked to a heartbreaking reality at the time: Steven was struggling with drug addiction when Liv was born.

Todd Rundgren signed Liv’s birth certificate and helped raise her (Jemal Countess/Staff/Getty Images)

Because of that, as reported by People, Bebe claimed Todd was Liv’s father, with the celebrity musician signing her birth certificate and helping to raise her.

As previously reported, Liv’s ‘parents’ had ‘made a pact that he would be Liv’s father, and if it ever became an issue, we’d tell her at 18', Buell said. However, Liv found out much earlier after attending an Aerosmith concert with her mum when she was around 11 or 12.

Speaking on Sibling Revelry with Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson, Liv recalled realising something was going on when she saw Steven’s daughter Mia Tyler at the side of the stage.

The pair looked so alike that Liv began putting the pieces together.

She previously said on The Jonathan Ross Show: "I kind of figured it out because he looked exactly like me, and I have a sister named Mia who is a year younger than me and I saw her standing at the side of the stage at a concert and I was literally like looking at my twin.

"She looked exactly like me and I looked at my mum and she had tears in her eyes and I kind of put it all together".

Liv later described the moment her mum confirmed the truth. She said: "I looked at my mom, and I was like, 'Mom?' And she just started crying. My mom just, like, balled. And I was like, 'Is Steven my dad?' And she just burst [into tears]"

"And then she took me to a bench and we sat on a bench at this outdoor amphitheater and she told me the whole story in the most sincere, beautiful way."

Liv later built a relationship with Steven and her half-siblings (Theo Wargo/Staff/Getty Images)

Liv admitted that the news was initially overwhelming, saying: "The first wave was shock."

After taking it all in, she eventually came to see the situation in a different way, recalling: "After that concert, we went home and my mom had a chaise lounge in front of a window and I remember sitting there for what felt like three days, but it was probably three hours, and just basically coming to this conclusion at the end of 'Whoa, I have two dads and all this love. Maybe there’ll be two Christmases"

Liv has also spoken warmly about Todd, saying: "It's probably still very hard and painful and I don't speak to him enough. I love him. I have brothers from him and I had a whole family with them. He took care of me like he was [my] dad.

"As the story goes, [my mom] called Todd and said she was pregnant and he asked her to come home to where they lived in Woodstock in upstate New York.

"He very courageously and lovingly said, 'This child needs a father, and I will be the father.'"