Nick Cave’s son Jethro Lazenby lived ‘off-the-rails’ life before tragic death

He once had a promising modelling career, booking runway shows for top fashion brands. But Jethro Lazenby’s tragic life of crime paints a sad picture.

Jethro Lazenby was found dead in a seedy motel room in Coburg earlier this month. Picture: Facebook

An extensive trail of criminal charges and jail time over the past seven years lays bare the sad, off-the-rails life of Jethro Lazenby – son of dark rocker Nick Cave – who was found dead in a seedy motel in Melbourne earlier this month.

Lazenby, 31, had been in and out of the Victorian courts, custody and jail system since 2015 facing charges over the years that included contravening court orders, unlawful assault, breaking bail conditions, shop theft, stalking, robbery, making threat to kill, intentionally cause injury, recklessly cause injury, using a carriage service to harass, breaching community correction orders, intentionally destroying property, giving a false name, refusing to provide his name, assault prison officer on duty, throwing a missile to injure a person, and possessing heroin, cannabis and methylamphetamine.

Jethro Lazenby had been in and out of the Victorian justice system since 2015.

Lazenby, whose mother is Melbourne-based former model Beau Lazenby, had a promising modelling career which launched with an appearance in a Myer catalogue in 2008.

He went on to walk in the 2009 Melbourne Fashion Festival, memorably sporting a toadstool hat, before heading to Europe where he was booked for runway shows by luxury labels including Balenciaga in 2009 and Versace in 2010.

However by December 2015 he was appearing in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court as his life began to spiral.

In February 2016 he was sentenced to one month in prison after pleading guilty to possessing heroin, breaching a court order, contravening a bail condition and committing an indictable offence while on bail.

Lazenby walking the runway at Melbourne Fashion Week in 2009.

On the catwalk for the Versace Milan Menswear Spring/Summer 2011 show in Milan. Picture: Getty Images

Lazenby was found dead in his room at the Coburg Motor Inn. Picture: Josie Hayden

Court documents show he was noted as having “been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and anxiety disorder” and “may be withdrawing from illegal substances.”

It was downhill from there.

Lazenby was in and out of court and jail at various stages in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Documents show the courts trying to straighten him out with community correction orders in 2016, 2017 and 2019 requiring him to undergo treatment for drug abuse and his mental health.

He continued to come to the attention of police and the courts in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

That dangerous spiral ended at the Coburg Motor Inn on Friday May 6, a day after he had been released from the Melbourne Remand Centre after agreeing to undergo court ordered drug rehabilitation.

Lazenby is the second son his father Nick Cave has lost in tragic circumstances.

Lazenby’s half-brother Arthur Cave was just 15 when he fell off a cliff in Brighton, England after taking LSD in 2015 and died.