Jimmy Page’s legacy is questioned in part because published accounts describe a relationship with Lori Mattix, also known as Lori Maddox, while she was underage. The accounts differ on whether she was 14 or 15 when the relationship began, so neither age should be treated as settled. Mattix has recalled the relationship with affection, but later said that coverage prompted her to see it from another perspective. That tension is central to understanding why the story remains part of discussion about Page and Led Zeppelin’s touring culture.
Who was Lori Mattix, and what do published accounts say?
Lori Mattix, also known as Lori Maddox, has spoken retrospectively about her relationship with Page. In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, she was described as below the age of consent when Page pursued her. The account does not establish a legal finding, and the applicable law and jurisdiction are not addressed here.
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The reported ages vary. Journalist Lisa Robinson’s 2003 retrospective says Mattix was 15 when she caught Page’s attention at a Los Angeles club; a 2022 New Yorker review describes Page taking up with her when she was 14. Those accounts should be kept distinct rather than combined into a single precise age.
What did Mattix say about the relationship later?
Mattix described the relationship to The Guardian as “the most beautiful pure love I thought I could ever feel.” In the same retrospective discussion, she said reading later articles made her consider another perspective: “I think that’s what made me start seeing it from a different perspective because I did read a few [articles], and I thought: ‘Shit, maybe,’”
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She also said, “He never abused me, ever,” and added, “I don’t think underage girls should sleep with guys. I wouldn’t want this for anybody’s daughter.” These comments convey both her affection for the relationship as she remembered it and her later reflection on the adult-minor age difference. Neither her statements nor the reporting establish Page’s private intentions, and the reviewed accounts contain no direct statement from Page addressing this specific relationship.
How does the touring context fit?
Robinson, who wrote about touring with Led Zeppelin from 1973 to 1979, described Mattix as Page’s steady girlfriend in Los Angeles. Her retrospective recounts a discussion during a 1973 tour about sending the band’s jet to bring Mattix to Page in the Midwest after a show was canceled while Robert Plant was ill. According to Robinson, the band instead went to Los Angeles for several days off. This is an account of a proposed arrangement, not evidence that the trip took place.
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The episode belongs to a wider discussion of fame, access, and the treatment of underage girls around touring musicians. Period terms such as “groupie” can obscure the age and power imbalance at the center of this particular account. The New Yorker’s review of Bob Spitz’s Led Zeppelin biography places the relationship in that broader setting; it is a later reviewer’s framing, not a separate firsthand account from Mattix.
Why does the story affect Page’s legacy?
For some readers, the reported relationship complicates an assessment of Page beyond his music. It raises questions about an adult musician’s relationship with someone described in published accounts as underage, and about a touring culture in which young girls could be treated as part of the scene. Mattix’s own retrospective comments make the picture more complex than a simple claim that she has always viewed the relationship negatively—or that her affection removes the age imbalance.
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That discussion can coexist with recognition of Led Zeppelin’s musical importance. It is also important to keep this story separate from other notorious band anecdotes, some of which have been disputed or described as folklore. The reporting cited here concerns Mattix and should not be used to validate unrelated claims.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read the accounts carefully
- Mattix’s retrospective account: The Guardian reports her own memories and later reflections, including her statement that Page never abused her.
- Robinson’s touring retrospective: Her Vanity Fair article gives a journalist’s account of the band’s touring life and the reported discussion about bringing Mattix to Page.
- The New Yorker review: Its age description appears in a review of Spitz’s biography and should be attributed as such.
Together, these sources support saying that published accounts describe a relationship while Mattix was underage. They do not settle the exact age at its start, establish every detail independently, or supply a direct response from Page.
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- John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came together in 1968 as Led Zeppelin. Over the next decade, the band would become one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, selling more than 300 million albums worldwide. Their songs are some of the most celebrated in rock n roll history that, to this day, resonate with fans young and old around the globe. Still, no matter how many times you may have listened to their music, you ve never heard Led Zeppelin like this before.With the 2014 release of deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, & Led Zeppelin III, the band will launch an extensive reissue program of all nine of its st
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- John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came together in 1968 as Led Zeppelin. Over the next decade, the band would become one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music, selling more than 300 million albums worldwide. Their songs are some of the most celebrated in rock n roll history that, to this day, resonate with fans young and old around the globe. Still, no matter how many times you may have listened to their music, you ve never heard Led Zeppelin like this before.With the 2014 release of deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, & Led Zeppelin III, the band will launch an extensive reissue program of all nine of its st
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