Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, released her memoir, Matriarch, this week, which brings to life her cancer battle and some moments in her famous daughters’ lives.
The 71-year-old was begged by Beyoncé to not “spill the Mama tea” but fans will find plenty of titbits in the autobiography.
Matriarch: A Memoir details the Texas native’s tough upbringing in segregation through to her present-day life as a businesswoman.
But the book has a twist at the end as she reveals her diagnosis of breast cancer, which she found out about last year.
Here is a look at Tina Knowles and her children.
Who are the Knowles family?
Tina Knowles
Born in 1954, Celestine Ann Beyoncé (as she was christened) has French and US heritage and grew up in post-war Texas.
She became an esteemed fashion designer and worked with top brands, her book reveals, as well as designing Beyoncé’s wedding dress.
Tina married Richard Knowles in 1980 – a salesman who quit his job to manage Destiny’s Child, which launched the careers of Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland. They had Beyoncé and Solange but also helped raise Kelly Rowland and Angie Beyincé.
They divorced in 2011 and Tina married Richard Lawson that same year, although their marriage ended in 2024. Tina is known as Mama T by her daughters.
Beyoncé
The eldest of two daughters of Tina and Richard Knowles was born in Houston in 1981 and sang in church choirs before finding great success with Destiny’s Child as a teenager.
Launching her solo career in 2003, Beyoncé has gone onto become one of the most successful singers of all time – releasing eight albums, which have achieved combined sales beyond 200 million worldwide.
Beyoncé married the rapper Jay-Z in 2008 and they had daughter Blue Ivy in 2012 before twins Rumi and Sir in 2018.
Solange
The 38-year-old singer has also been releasing music since she was a teenager and also had roles in films as an actress.
Solange was married to Daniel Smith from 2004 to 2007 and then to Alan Ferguson from 2014 to 2017. She has one child.
No mention is made in Matriarch about a 2014 altercation between Jay-Z and Solange in a lift but Tina does discuss Solange’s teen pregnancy.
Angela Beyincé
Beyincé, 48, is the niece of Tina Knowles but Mama T considers her to be a daughter.
She is an accomplished songwriter and has contributed to the composition of some of Beyoncé’s earlier recordings.
Beyincé has also written for Kelly Rowland.
Blue Ivy Carter
The elder daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z was born in 2012 and has, knowingly or not, been contributing to music since her birth.
Alongside her family she has appeared in a range of music videos and was also part of a choir that sang on Coldplay’s Up & Up.
Rumi and Sir Carter
The latest members of the Knowles clan are Beyoncé’s twins, daughter Rumi and son Sir Carter.
The two were born in 2017 but unlike their older sister have stayed out of the limelight.
And a bonus...
Kelly Rowland
A childhood friend of Beyonce’s, Rowland moved in with the Knowles family when she was 11 and is considered a daughter by Tina.
“I gave birth to two of you, but I have four incredible daughters,” Tina said in 2015 in reference to Rowland and Angie Beyincé.
The new memoir reveals that in 2002: “Beyoncé pushed back her own album so her sister Kelly could take full advantage of the momentum of her own success.”
Since the release of Simply Deep, Rowland has released further records and also appeared with Destiny’s Child for their 2004 swansong Destiny Fulfilled.
