Written by: Julie Hayne
Source: New Weekly Australia (February 16th, 1998)
Michael Hutchence's half-sister Tina has been through hell since the rock star's death in November. And things came to a head last Friday following the Coroner's verdict that Michael's death was caused by suicide. Distraught, Tina Hutchence broke down, unable to speak.
It wasn't that she was surprised at the verdict - she'd known all along that Michael had taken his own life. It was just the end of a long and exhausting few months which have seen vicious in fighting among Michael's family and friends. Only hours before the results of the inquest were announced, Tina told NW in an exclusive interview that Michael's lover, Paula Yates, had destroyed her brother and divided her family. She even went so far as to suggest Michael's unhappiness in his relationship was a prime reason for his death.
"Michael was under enormous pressure, he felt trapped and boxed in," says Tina. "It is fair to say that Michael was very unhappy with Paula at the time of his death. Michael had no intention of marrying Ms Yates."
Not only were there no wedding plans, but says Tina, Michael was actually looking for ways to end the relationship. "It was not common knowledge," she says. "However, people in Michael's inner circle knew he had been trying to get out of his relationship with Paula." Tina wants to set the record straight about her brother, his death and what she says are Paula's false claims that Michael planned to marry her. And she names the only woman her brother ever spoke of marrying - but it wasn't Paula Yates.
Tina, an author and mother of two who has lived in Los Angeles for the past 25 years, shared the same mother with Michael, Patricia Glassop, who later married Michael's father, Kell Hutchence. Tina claims to have witnessed the rock star's relationship with Paula from the start. "Michael was happy with Paula in the beginning," Tina says. "He loved her children, he has always wanted a family of his own. But he was concerned about going on the road with a family." Tina first became aware of Michael's unhappiness a year before his death.
"In November, 1996, he spent a considerable number of hours at my house, where we discussed our children," she recalls. "He was such a proud dad, displaying photographs of his adored Tiger. It was not his intention to be an absent father." But, when talk turned to marriage, Michael seemed uncomfortable. "I asked him about marriage and he withdrew," says Tina. "He said he was not ready, he just did not know about taking that step."
On a subsequent visit to Tina's L.A home, nothing had changed. "Again, in July last year, he said the same thing. Paula visited him in Los Angeles at that time and it was obvious that they were not a perfect match," she says. "I understood his reservations, I witnessed several Paula's in a matter of minutes. She could change from timid to intimidating. In fact, Michael told me he wished he could have the same Paula back that he had fallen in love with."
"Early on in the relationship, I was determined to like Paula. After all, she was Michael's choice and I respected this," says Tina. "Actually, I liked the 'shy' Paula. But when she moved into the 'storytelling' Paula, tipping off the press on their every move, I quickly moved into 'tolerance', I guess in respect for him." Tina says Paula's manipulation of the press reached it's peak last year when she intentionally leaked that she and Michael were planning to wed on the tropical island of Bora Bora, a move which Tina says greatly upset Michael.
"In October, 1997 Michael had his agent Martha Troup, release a statement emphatically denying a story Paula had planted, pertaining to a wedding on Bora Bora," Tina reveals. "He called me to assure me the proposed wedding was just a story. He was upset because he felt that family members would have their feelings hurt if they thought they were being left out of an important event." During that conversation, Michael also revealed to Tina that he was planning to move to Los Angeles after leaving Paula. Indeed, Tina says that just before his death he told her he wanted to end the relationship because he found it "very destructive" personally.
"I did resent Paula for drawing my brother into her problems with her ex-husband Bob Geldof," says Tina. "That situation was extremely stressful for Michael and he expressed his frustration to me on many occasions."
Tina revealed there was only one woman her brother ever talked of marrying: Michele Bennett, the ex-girlfriend to whom Michael placed two frantic, weeping phone calls on the morning of his death, and who came to the hotel leaving a message at reception for him, unaware that he lay dead in his room. "The only woman I have ever heard him say he would wed is Michele Bennett," reveals Tina. Michele went out with Michael for seven years in the early stages of his career. He was deeply in love with the vivacious model. Described by Tina as a "really lovely girl", Michael left her after seven years for actor Virginia Hey. Michele and Michael later became best friends.
Meanwhile, Paula is rumored to be heading to Australia next month to spend some time with Michael's father and Tina's step father Kell. The two have been in almost constant contact since Paula returned to London after Michael's funeral. The news of Paula's visit to Kell comes as a shock to Tina. "Frankly, that surprises me," she says. "The night before the funeral they had a hell of a fight." Since Michael's death, Kell and Paula have publically feuded over many aspects of Michael's estate. The worst of these was his remains being cremated and divided into three urns when no-one was able to agree on a suitable burial site. Michael's father has scattered his portion off Sydney Harbour, but the other two thirds have yet to be put to rest.
"When I read of family members talking about my beloved brother's ashes, I was devastated, to say the least," says Tina, who is visibly shaken by the feud. "It is humiliating and nobody's business. My mother and I could not believe it when we were told we could collect our third! It was news to us and it physically made me ill. That was one of the saddest days of our lives. Without consulting Michael's mother or sister, his remains had become the centre of a legal wrangle.
"Michael's attorney, for some unknown reason, had put a stop on anybody laying my brother to rest, which caused great hardship, mental anguish and heartache." Amidst her heartache, Tina has had to endure a very public mourning period. "Truthfully, some of the stories sadden me, especially coming from the family. It is painful and embarrassing.
"There have been many lies, even from family members," Tina says bitterly. Tina and her mother must now deal with their loss and regret. "Our lives are changed forever", says Tina. "I feel a deep void, sadness, anger and incredible pain. To think that my brother had nowhere to turn, when he was loved so much."
The fact that she was denied the chance to help her brother will haunt Tina forever. She finds it distressing to think of the pain Michael was going through in his last hours of his life. "Not a day passes that I don't think, I wish I could have been there."