“For Years, I Thought She’d Given Up On Me” — Yoko Ono’s Daughter On Losing Contact With Her Mother

Kyoko Ono’s life is one of those stories that carries the weight of pain and healing. For over twenty years, she lived with a lingering weight, as she was cut off from her mother, artist Yoko Ono, and completely unaware of the search that lasted decades.

Now 61, Kyoko is finally speaking up. In a rare and personal interview, she opened up about being taken from her mother at the age of eight, living off the grid for most of her childhood, and what it felt like to finally find her way back, years later, as an adult, a mother, and a woman who had spent most of her life in hiding.

Her father took Kyoko Ono unexpectedly and raised her in hiding

Kyoko was just a child when her father, Anthony Cox, disappeared with her after a custody battle. Yoko and John flew to Spain to get her back, but were arrested for kidnapping when they tried to take Kyoko from school. A judge in Spain forced Kyoko to choose which parent she wanted to live with. She picked her father, which upset her mother. She had been living between her mother, Yoko Ono, and John Lennon’s homes until one day, she was no longer there. Unexpectedly, Cox and his new wife, Melinda, took her out of the country, starting a life that involved secrecy, religious groups, and even life inside a cult.

Kyoko had no idea her mother and John were searching for her. They tried everything: private investigators, media appeals, and even songs like “Don’t Worry Kyoko.” But Kyoko lived quietly on a farm in Iowa, without television or access to the outside world. “People don’t realize,” she said, “it was a completely different life.”

“The moment we saw each other, it was like we had just spoken yesterday.”

Though she wanted to reconnect, Anthony discouraged contact with her mother, saying it was against God’s will and would put him in danger. It wasn’t until Kyoko turned 30 that she made the call that would change everything. By then, she had taught in public schools for years and felt ready to reach out. Her mother didn’t answer the first call, but called back. And from that moment, they began rebuilding their relationship. Kyoko was relieved to learn Yoko wasn’t out for revenge. All she wanted was to have her daughter back.

Today, Kyoko lives in Colorado and shares two children, Emi and John, with her ex-husband, who had once encouraged her to contact Yoko. She now speaks with her 92-year-old mother on a regular basis. “The moment we saw each other, it was like we had just spoken yesterday,” she said. Over time, she also began to understand the chaos of the adults in her life. “They were all just kids trying to be parents,” she said. “It’s a hard thing to do.”