Discover the untold story of Baxter Neal Helson, Tish Cyrus’s first husband and father of Brandi and Trace Cyrus. Learn about the drummer’s life, marriage, and family legacy.
Quick Facts About Baxter Neal Helson
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Baxter Neal Helson |
| Profession | Drummer, Musician |
| Famous For | First husband of Tish Cyrus, Father of Brandi and Trace Cyrus |
| Children | Brandi Cyrus (daughter), Trace Cyrus (son) |
| Marriage to Tish Cyrus | Early 1980s (exact date uncertain) |
| Divorce | Late 1980s |
| Nationality | American |
| Current Status | Private life, away from media spotlight |
Baxter Neal Helson Biography
Baxter Neal Helson remains one of those figures in entertainment history whose story is often overshadowed by the fame of his former family members. While his ex-wife Tish Cyrus and stepdaughter Miley Cyrus became household names, Baxter chose a different path—one that kept him largely out of the public eye.
Born and raised in the United States, Baxter Neal Helson developed a passion for music at an early age. His love for rhythm and percussion led him to pursue a career as a drummer, performing with local bands during the 1980s. Though he never achieved mainstream fame as a musician, his talent behind the drum kit earned him respect within local music circles.
The details of Baxter’s early life, including his exact birth date and family background, remain relatively unknown. This privacy seems to be a consistent theme throughout his life, as he has deliberately maintained distance from the media spotlight that eventually surrounded his children and former wife.
What we do know is that during the early 1980s, a young Baxter Neal Helson crossed paths with Leticia “Tish” Finley, a meeting that would change both their lives forever. Their relationship blossomed during a time when both were young and finding their way in the world, leading to marriage and the start of a family.
Baxter Neal Helson Tish Cyrus Ex-Husband
The relationship between Baxter Neal Helson and Tish Cyrus represents a significant chapter in both their lives, though one that ultimately didn’t stand the test of time. The couple married in the early 1980s when both were quite young, embarking on their journey as husband and wife with hopes for the future.
Their marriage took place during a period when Baxter was actively pursuing his music career as a drummer. Tish, whose full name is Leticia Jean Finley, was supporting his dreams while also managing the responsibilities of their growing family. The couple welcomed two children during their marriage: first their daughter Brandi in 1987, followed by their son Trace in 1989.
However, like many young marriages, theirs faced challenges. The pressures of raising a family, financial responsibilities, and the demands of trying to make it in the music industry created strain on their relationship. By the late 1980s, the couple’s marriage had deteriorated, ultimately leading to divorce.
The separation was reportedly difficult, and following the divorce, Baxter’s relationship with his children became complicated. Various reports suggest that there were custody challenges and that Baxter eventually had limited contact with Brandi and Trace as they grew up. This distance would later be addressed by his children in interviews and through their music.
After the divorce, Tish Cyrus moved forward with her life and eventually met country music star Billy Ray Cyrus in 1991. Billy Ray would go on to adopt both Brandi and Trace, giving them the Cyrus surname and raising them as his own children. This new family dynamic meant that Baxter’s role in his children’s lives diminished significantly.
Baxter Neal Helson Brandi Cyrus Father
Brandi Glenn Cyrus, born on May 26, 1987, is Baxter Neal Helson’s eldest child. As the firstborn, Brandi’s arrival marked Baxter’s transition into fatherhood—a role that would become complicated by the subsequent family circumstances.
During Brandi’s early years, Baxter was present as her father, though details about their relationship during this time remain private. When Tish and Baxter divorced, Brandi was still very young, and the separation would shape her childhood experiences significantly.
After Billy Ray Cyrus entered the picture and married Tish in 1993, he legally adopted Brandi, and she took on the Cyrus surname. Growing up, Brandi was raised primarily by Billy Ray and Tish, alongside her siblings including younger half-sister Miley Cyrus, who would become a global superstar.
Brandi has carved out her own path in the entertainment industry, working as an actress, singer, and DJ. She co-hosted the Bravo show “Cyrus vs. Cyrus: Design and Conquer” with her mother and has appeared in various other television projects. She’s also one half of the DJ duo “Miley & Brandi” with her famous sister.
In interviews over the years, Brandi has been relatively reserved about discussing her biological father. She has been open about the fact that Billy Ray Cyrus is the father who raised her and that she considers him her true dad. The relationship with Baxter appears to have remained distant throughout her adult years, though she has avoided speaking negatively about him publicly.
Baxter Neal Helson Trace Cyrus Father
Trace Dempsey Cyrus, born Neil Timothy Helson on February 24, 1989, is Baxter Neal Helson’s second child and only son. Like his sister Brandi, Trace was adopted by Billy Ray Cyrus and took on the Cyrus family name.
Trace has been more vocal than his sister about his biological father and the absence he felt growing up. As a musician himself—having fronted the pop-rock band Metro Station and pursued a solo career—Trace has channeled some of these emotions into his art.
In various interviews and through social media posts over the years, Trace has addressed the absence of his biological father and the impact it had on him. He has spoken about feeling abandoned and the pain of growing up without a relationship with Baxter. However, he has also expressed immense gratitude for Billy Ray Cyrus, who stepped in as a father figure and provided the love and support he needed.
Despite the complicated history, Trace has demonstrated maturity in how he discusses his family situation. While acknowledging the hurt caused by Baxter’s absence, he has also focused on the positive relationships he has built with Billy Ray and his siblings.
Trace’s music career has been successful in its own right, with Metro Station’s hit song “Shake It” reaching significant commercial success. He has also worked as a solo artist and collaborated with various musicians, establishing his own identity in the music industry separate from his famous family name.
Baxter Neal Helson Drummer
Music was Baxter Neal Helson’s first passion and his chosen profession long before he became known as Tish Cyrus’s ex-husband. As a drummer during the 1980s, Baxter was part of the vibrant local music scene, performing with various bands and honing his craft behind the drum kit.
The life of a drummer in a local band during the 1980s was both exciting and challenging. It meant late nights performing in clubs and venues, constant practice sessions, and the persistent hope of that breakthrough moment that would lead to wider recognition. For Baxter, music wasn’t just a hobby—it was a calling.
However, the reality of pursuing a music career while supporting a young family created significant pressures. The instability of gig-based income, combined with the time demands of performing and rehearsing, put strain on his marriage to Tish. Despite his dedication to his craft, mainstream success as a musician remained elusive.
After his divorce and the subsequent changes in his family situation, details about Baxter’s continued involvement in music become scarce. It’s unclear whether he continued pursuing drumming professionally or moved on to other career paths. This ambiguity is consistent with his overall approach to privacy in recent decades.
What remains clear is that his love for music was genuine, and during those years in the 1980s, drumming was his identity and his passion. Even if commercial success eluded him, he contributed to the local music scenes where he performed and left his mark in his own way.
Baxter Neal Helson Family
The story of Baxter Neal Helson’s family is complex and multifaceted, involving biological connections, legal adoptions, and the emotional realities of blended family dynamics.
At the center of this story are his two biological children, Brandi and Trace, both born during his marriage to Tish. While Baxter is their biological father, the reality is that Billy Ray Cyrus became their dad in every practical sense after adopting them in the 1990s. This distinction—between biological parenthood and the day-to-day reality of raising children—defines much of Baxter’s family story.
The extended Cyrus family that Brandi and Trace became part of includes their half-siblings: Miley Cyrus, the global superstar; Braison Cyrus, an actor and musician; and Noah Cyrus, a singer-songwriter who has achieved her own success. Billy Ray also had another son, Christopher Cody, from a previous relationship.
For Baxter, watching from a distance as his children grew up as part of one of entertainment’s most famous families must have been a unique experience. His children have achieved various levels of fame and success, all while carrying a surname that isn’t his.
Little is known about whether Baxter remarried or had additional children after his divorce from Tish. He has maintained such a low profile that basic details about his life over the past three decades remain largely unknown to the public.
The Cyrus family has experienced their share of public ups and downs, including Tish and Billy Ray’s on-and-off relationship, which ultimately ended in divorce in 2022 after multiple separations. Throughout all these public family dramas, Baxter has remained absent from the narrative.
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Life Away from the Spotlight
Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Baxter Neal Helson’s story is his absence from it. In an age where many individuals connected to famous families leverage that connection for their own exposure, Baxter has done the opposite.
He has no public social media presence, gives no interviews, and makes no attempts to capitalize on his children’s fame or his connection to the Cyrus family. This could be interpreted in various ways—as a choice to protect his privacy, as evidence of estrangement from his children, or simply as the preference of someone who never sought fame in the first place.
For Brandi and Trace, their father’s absence has been a reality they’ve had to navigate while growing up in the public eye. Both have expressed that while they acknowledge Baxter as their biological father, Billy Ray Cyrus is the man who raised them and whom they consider their real dad.
As the years have passed, any possibility of reconciliation or renewed relationship between Baxter and his adult children remains private. Neither Brandi nor Trace has publicly discussed any recent contact with their biological father, suggesting that the distance that developed decades ago has remained.
Conclusion
Baxter Neal Helson’s story is ultimately one of roads not taken and relationships lost to time and circumstance. As a young drummer in the 1980s, he could not have imagined that his children would grow up as part of one of entertainment’s most recognizable families—or that he would be largely absent from that story.
While he remains a footnote in the larger Cyrus family narrative, his biological connection to Brandi and Trace Cyrus ensures that his name continues to surface whenever their family history is discussed. Whether he has found peace and fulfillment in his private life away from the spotlight remains known only to him.
His story serves as a reminder that behind every famous family are complex human relationships, difficult choices, and the lasting impact of decisions made decades ago. For Baxter Neal Helson, the choice—whether by circumstance or design—has been privacy, leaving the public to wonder about the man who started a family that would become famous without him.
