Meet Cyndi Lauper's musician son, Declyn Lauper, who avoided prison for gun charges

Declyn "Dex" Wallace Thornton Lauper was born on November 19, 1997, just days before Cyndi's sixth wedding anniversary to her longtime husband, actor David Thornton.

Cyndi prefers to keep her personal life private, but in 2013, Declyn and David featured on her short-lived reality series, Cyndi Lauper: Still So Unusual, which documented her life as a working mother.

She appeared to learn a lesson about sharing snippets of her personal life, because in her 2023 documentary Let the Canary Sing, she did not include her son or husband at all.

"There were certain things I didn't want to talk about, my husband and my son, because that was really private," she told Vanity Fair. "The documentary is about my career, and let the canary sing." 

Declyn has followed in his mom's footsteps as a musician under the name Dex Lauper, releasing several songs on SoundCloud. "It's more underground," Cyndi told Vanity Fair of her son's music. "He's a terrific artist."

He shared music videos for tracks "Wavy," "Special Vibe," "LOYALTY," and "Moods" in 2017, and has collaborated with G-Eazy. 

In 2025, he co-founded 13 Degrees Media Group, "a dynamic venture to support professionals across the media, sports, and music industries." 

Cyndi has been open over the years about balancing her career and motherhood and admitted that Declyn struggled with her fame. "It's hard for him," she told The Guardian in 2008.

"People look at him, and he feels the pressure of being my son," she explained. "Someone came up to me in the street and kept talking and talking. Declyn said afterward, 'Who are you?' And I said, 'I'm a mommy.' And he said, 'No, you're not - you're Cyndi Lauper!'"  

While the singer spent a lot of time on the road while Declyn was growing up, she did her best to provide for him. "My son went to good schools, but I missed out on a few things when I was on the road," she told Vanity Fair.

"People said I was so career-driven, but once the kid came, I looked at how I can support everything: make a record, tour – and my husband would say, 'Go to Europe, I've got him.' I took my son on tour sometimes, but he needed his own space."

Declyn has been supportive of his mom, and over the years, he has joined her for a handful of red carpet appearances.

One of his first was the afterparty for The Celebrity Apprentice season 3 in May 2010, which Cyndi starred in.

He was also photographed with his mom at the 2011 Grammy Awards, the Broadway opening night of Kinky Boots, and the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. 

Their last official public appearance together was on June 14, 2023, at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere afterparty for her documentary, Let the Canary Sing. 

Cyndi's son has found himself in trouble with the law on multiple occasions. Back in July 2022, he was arrested in New York City after police allegedly found him sitting in a stolen 2014 Mercedes-Benz C350. He was taken into custody and charged with felony unauthorized use of a vehicle at 24 years old.

He would plead guilty in the Manhattan Criminal Court later that year and was ordered to complete five days of private community service and "stay out of trouble for one year."

"It's definitely a blessing the case is over," he told the NYP when he left the courtroom with his father. 

In February 2024, Declyn was arrested in connection with criminal possession of a weapon after the shooting of then 24-year-old Omar Lewin. He was taken into custody after he was caught with a loaded gun. However, Declyn was not accused of firing the shot that hit Omar in the leg.

A criminal complaint was filed in Manhattan Criminal Court, alleging that Declyn had the gun "with intent to use it unlawfully against another," resulting in two charges of criminal possession of a firearm, the New York Daily News reported at the time.

Over two years later, Declyn was sentenced to one year of interim probation after pleading guilty to the charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

As part of the plea deal, Declyn will reportedly have to receive substance abuse treatment and remain arrest-free for one year.

Should he complete the program without incident, he will then be able to plea to the lesser charge of criminal possession of a firearm, a Class E non-violent felony, and receive a three-year conditional discharge.