Adrian Mitchell is survived by his wife, the actress Celia Hewitt, whose bookshop, Ripping Yarns, was[16] in Highgate, and their two daughters Sasha and Beattie. He also has two sons and a daughter from his previous marriage to Maureen Bush: Briony, Alistair and Danny, with nine grandchildren.[9] Mitchell and his wife had adopted Boty Goodwin (1966-1995), daughter of the artist Pauline Boty, following the death of her father, literary agent Clive Goodwin, in 1978. Following Boty Goodwin's death from a heroin overdose, Mitchell wrote the poem 'Especially when it snows' in her memory.[17]

ESPECIALLY WHEN IT SNOWS
for Boty
especially when it snows
and every tree
has its dark arms and widespread hands
full of that shining angelfood

especially when it snows
and every footprint
makes a dark lake
among the frozen grass

especially when it snows darling
and tough little robins
beg for crumbs
at golden-spangled windows

ever since we said goodbye to you
in that memorial garden
where nothing grew
except the beautiful blank-eyed snow

and little Caitlin crouched to wave goodbye to you
down in the shadows

especially when it snows
and keeps on snowing

especially when it snows
and down the purple pathways of the sky
the planet staggers like King Lear
with his dead darling in his arms

especially when it snows
and keeps on snowing

© 1996, the estate of Adrian Mitchell From: Blue Coffee Publisher: Bloodaxe Books, Tarset, 1996 ISBN: 9781852248000