This is a letter Tina sent to the producers of 60 Minutes today (September 19, 2002). It is in response to the Bob Geldof interview, which aired in Australia on September 15 th as promotion for Bob's 2001 album. There were so many throwaways and innuendoes that she wanted to address, but chose to point out some glaring discrepancies for now.

To the producers of 60 Minutes:

I understand that it was devastating for Bob Geldof to see his ex-wife with the incredibly charismatic, exceedingly talented, younger, Michael Hutchence.  After all, the multi-talented, award winning, Australian, filled the 75,000 seat Wembley Stadium, Madison Square Garden, and the Sydney Entertainment Centre several times over, and played to
an audience of 100,000 two nights running in both Rio de Janeiro and Mexico City during a single world tour. Five years after his passing Michael's voice and lyrics are still heard internationally on radio, television, and in movies without slowing down - accomplishments that have so far eluded the aging rocker, Bob .

It is therefore not too surprising but utterly fascinating to me how he can change documented facts now that he is publicizing an album; but let's get the story straight.  For a start Paula Yates stated in several 1995 interviews as well as her autobiography that she did not leave Bob for Michael –they had already separated, though Bob refused to make it public.

Bob is of course known for being a humanitarian, but is he also psychic?  He now professes to know more than the N.S.W. coroner and the good men and women in the N.S.W. police force. Michael's death was an accident? In all of the conversations I have had with Bob, he never once offered any information that would make me suspect that he knew anything more about my brother's death than what his attorney offered in a carefully worded statement sent to the Sydney authorities in late November, 1997.

I realize through my conversations with Bob over the last four and a half years that he has always wanted Michael's death to be stamped something other than suicide, as it would relieve the guilt he feels for his participation. For Michael had been driven half crazy with the back and forth feuding between Paula and Bob, and embarrassing lies fed to the press, but ultimately it was his decision to take his life. He could see no way out after his phone call with Bob and after finding out that his baby daughter would be held hostage in London and he had no chance of seeing her for Christmas.

In her statement to the detectives, Paula blamed Bob for Michael's demise, but later changed her tune in a ‘60 Minutes' interview. It is quite amazing how a television interview can make people remember things they didn't remember when giving a police statement. I also heard Bob say that he had "had loads of conversations with him (Michael)". This is news to me as he has repeatedly told me that he only had "about a half dozen conversations with him".  I do not understand why Bob feels so guilty over Michael's death, I have assured him over and over that I do not blame him, in fact I have forgiven him.

Bob's assertion that Michael's death was an accident is absurd. An accident is when someone loses his brakes and slams into a truck; an accident is when an unfortunate soul like Paula overdoses on drugs - something the N.S.W. coroner's report states Michael did NOT do. Michael was so incredibly frustrated, beyond the point of rational thinking, feeling helpless. This was no accident.

Both on the Parkinson show and in an interview in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2001 Bob proudly stated that the offensive lyrics were about his ex and Michael. In fact there are some extremely hurtful lyrics directed at Paula written after her death. Now he weeps as he tells Ray Martin that Paula was the love of his life and the lyrics were not written with Michael and Paula in mind. Can his publicist explain these inconsistencies?

Might I add that it is far easier to throw away lines and innuendoes in an interview, than to write a book without getting lawsuits - as my mother Patricia Glassop and I did. We had to go through two teams of attorneys and show proof for every piece of information in 'The Real Michael Hutchence, Just A Man'. Read the book, look up the website: www.michaelhutchenceinfo.com .

Sincerely,
 Tina Hutchence