Jeff Bezos’ Father was a Circus Performer

The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon, a biography of Jeff Bezos written in 2013, claims that the billionaire's biological father was a unicyclist and circus performer. Jorgensen had apparently not seen his son in decades and was unaware that he was his biological father when Stone found him to interview him for his biography. According to Stone, once Jorgensen reached out to his son and the two reconciled, Bezos informed Jorgensen that "he felt no ill will towards Jorgensen at all." At the age of 71, Ted Jorgensen passed away on March 16, 2015.

The father figure rarely mentioned in earlier biographies of Amazon's CEO, his absent father, is explored in depth by Stone. Bezos, who was raised by his mother and stepfather, last saw his birth father Ted Jorgenson when he was a little child. He wed Bezos's mother at the age of 18 and worked at a department shop for $1.25 an hour, but his wife filed for divorce when Bezos was just 17 months old due to his drinking and lack of discipline. Bezos's biological father had no idea what had happened to his kid, according to Stone, who tracked Jorgenson down behind the counter of his bike shop. He said, "Is he still alive?"