Mel Gibson and his girlfriend welcome a baby girl

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Mel Gibson and his girlfriend are welcoming the birth of the couple's first child -- making the Oscar-winner a father for the eighth time.

Gibson's publicist Alan Nierob said Monday that Oksana Grigorieva gave birth to a baby girl named Lucia on Friday at a hospital in Los Angeles.

No further details were available.

The 53-year-old "Braveheart" star has seven children with his ex-wife, Robyn. She cited irreconcilable differences in her April divorce petition to end their marriage of 28 years.

Grigorieva is a 39-year-old Russian musician. She and Gibson met while filming "Edge of Reason." Gibson is currently filming "The Beaver," directed by Jodie Foster.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)