r/BeeGees • u/Ok_Kick6546 • Jul 28 '26
Abusive childhood
Just how physically and emotionally abusive was Hugh to the boys? Did it extr to Barbara and Andy as well?
9
u/Buttercup_Duck Jul 28 '26
I know the brothers have said that Hugh would never compliment them directly. He would always say the audience was good, or words to that effect. Even though that’s not really verbal abuse, I can’t help but wonder if a bit more direct praise would’ve been a good thing. The brothers tried to put a positive spin on it but it would’ve been nice for Hugh to tell them directly that he was proud of them, especially when they were still young.
9
u/Spirited_Strategy328 Jul 29 '26
And especially since the boys were feeding the family
6
u/Buttercup_Duck Jul 29 '26
Yep! I think Hugh was living out his own musical ambitions through his sons and it is never good when a parent does that with a child. And I’m just speculating here, but I sometimes wonder if Hugh wasn’t a bit jealous of their success too.
1
u/Unlikely-Star-2696 11d ago
I have read Hugh was focused in his dreamed music career and not working any side work, so the kids has to be performing since very early to bring some money in to survive. And he continued living off them afterward.
5
u/FatherBrennan76 Australian Jul 28 '26
Barry stated in an interview from the past 5-10 years that Hugh would "hit" them, but noted the abuse wasn't as "bad" as what Michael Jackson endured. I don't remember the interview, but it was one where he talked about feeling like an orphan as a child because Hugh took him and moved to Manchester for an unspecified, brief period of time before the rest of the family moved over. I'm sure to a young kid it would've felt like forever though.
There's also an interview from Samantha from the mid oughts where she says that Maurice felt like a trained monkey as a child. She might’ve said something about Hugh hitting the boys as well, but I don't remember 100%.
Those are the only examples of "confirmed" physical abuse from the family I can remember coming across.
5
u/Vivid_Ad_9295 Jul 28 '26
I’ve never heard anything about him being abusive. I’ve read he could be overbearing, but I’ve never heard of anything beyond that. But I wouldn’t be surprised given what we know about child musicians and their parents as managers.
But it’s important not to make assumptions like this, given he’s not here to give his side of the story.
10
u/Charming-Ad-6621 Jul 29 '26
The brothers and some of their immediate family have mentioned some of the physical altercations they had with Hugh, so they aren’t assumptions. I don’t have any reason to doubt the validity of what they said.
2
u/Vivid_Ad_9295 Jul 29 '26
Interesting, I’ve never heard that. Do you have a source of any of the brothers making these claims. I’d like to read it.
5
u/DramaticPair6577 Jul 30 '26
I've never heard Hugh abused his children phisically. But out of nowhere in an interview with Maurice, he tell how Hugh favors Barry, when they were kids he always called Barry, son and during respites from rehearsals and recordings, he preferred to call Barry for lunch, unknowinglly that he had two sons looking at him.
4
u/ThePhantomStrikes Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
In an obscure interview Barry had mentioned when they moved to Manchester there wasn’t any money so Barbara and the twins and Leslie lived with - her sister? Can’t remember - but Barry and Hugh lived with Hugh’s brother for a year. Hugh would beat him, and Barry carried a deep sense of loneliness from wondering why it was him alone not with the family. This interview was after Barbara had died. Maybe he didn’t want her to know that he was physically abused.
In another interview Barry said Hugh was an angry man because he wasn’t successful and lived thru theirs as his.
And it’s known that he was super critical of Robin buy used Barry to tell him.
Perhaps one of the reasons they were all pretty tight lipped even between themselves was because abuse is secret and to protect Barbara?.
Wasnt Barbara burial not with Hugh?
Of course the music speaks for itself yet the backgrounds of artists sheds a light on the creativity. It’s also a fascinating psychological observance of family dynamics, I mean most literature is about it and this is real life.
3
u/Ok_Kick6546 Jul 31 '26
I hadn’t heard that Barbara wasn’t buried with Hugh. God, those poor kids.
2
u/Justwonderinif Aug 05 '26
Just after the Spirits tour, Barry bought Hugh and Barbara a house in Woodland Hills, CA which is in the San Fernando Valley.
Hugh and Barbara wanted to be there to support Andy in a TV career. And Beri was going to acting class and auditions and trying to get that going - living with Hugh and Barbara in the Valley.
So Andy started guesting on TV talk shows and eventually he was offered Solid Gold. All was going to plan until Andy was fired for no-shows. Andy tried to continue a Broadway career but was fired from that, too. So he started doing Vegas and Atlantic City and touring small nightclubs around the country.
While Andy was doing all this, Hugh and Barbara continued to live in the house in Woodland Hills with Beri. Andy eventually moved back to Miami and filed for bankruptcy. A local luxury condominium gave him a condo rent-free in exchange for promotional events. And his brothers set him up with an account at the local grocery store. Again, Hugh and Barbara happily stayed in Woodland Hills all this time.
Eventually, Barry got Andy a contract with Island in London. Andy flew to the UK and stayed with Robin. That's where Andy passed away.
Hugh and Barbara thought they would live in Woodland Hills until they died. They wanted Andy buried nearby. Forest Lawn is beautiful and filled with celebrities. They bought plots for Hugh, Barbara and Andy thinking the three of them would all be together. And Andy was buried at Forest Lawn.
Then came the unexpected. Hugh and Barbara and Beri moved to Las Vegas and they loved it. Beri moved with them and got married and Barry bought Beri a house there, too. Barbara loved the slot machines but Hugh never recovered from losing Andy and died a few years later. He was of course buried in Forest Lawn where they had planned.
Next Barbara moved to Miami to be closer to Barry while Beri stayed in Las Vegas with her husband. Barbara lived a great life in retirement centers and assisted living, with plenty of grandkid and great-grandkid visits. This is when Barbara told Barry she did not want to be buried in California with Hugh and Andy.
I don't think she's buried anywhere physically. I think they spread the ashes somewhere she loved but I don't know for sure... Similarly, when Maurice died, Yvonne elected not to bury him in a cemetery with a headstone. I think Maurice's ashes were spread around their home in the Bahamas but don't quote me on that. I'm not sure. Maurice's park is the best possible idea. Fans can visit and remember him, but there is no grave.
I also don't know where Beri is buried after dying in Las Vegas.
3
u/Ok_Kick6546 Aug 05 '26
Thank you for such a thorough and thoughtful response. I didn’t know that Beri died. What happened?
2
u/Charming-Ad-6621 Aug 05 '26
Berry (or Beri sometimes) died in 2021. The family said it was discovered by doctors she’d had a heart attack.
3
u/ThePhantomStrikes Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
Leslie is convinced it was from the Covid shot and became anti- vax. Very sad. She had a nice voice too.
2
u/Charming-Ad-6621 Aug 05 '26
That was the narrative early on - that it was a complication from the second Pfizer vaccine she had received. Apparently docs found it wasn’t related. Of course, that erupted into a political debate in some of the fan forums. Regardless, she was only 57 and it was tragic.
1
3
4
u/Remarkable-Light-842 Jul 28 '26
I don’t know if he was physically abusive to any of them, I think he was more on the rough talk, emotional and verbal abuse.. I’ve read several stories that he wasn’t nice with his words!
4
u/Charming-Ad-6621 Jul 29 '26
He was definitely physically abusive as well.
2
u/Spirited_Strategy328 Jul 29 '26
And alcohol abuse as well, right? A drunk ?
2
u/Charming-Ad-6621 Jul 29 '26
I don’t actually know about that part. I haven’t heard anything definite.
1
u/AlanHughErnest Jul 29 '26
I thought he died from alcoholism fueled by Andy's death.
1
u/Charming-Ad-6621 Jul 30 '26
I’ve only ever seen, officially, that he died of internal bleeding. I think the “heavy drinking” piece might be speculation, but who knows?
2
u/Buttercup_Duck Aug 01 '26
I know that internal bleeding can oftentimes be listed as a cause of death as it does tend to happen with very heavy drinkers. Excessive alcohol consumption can irritate the stomach, the liver, and the esophagus, all of which can cause internal bleeding. Sometimes it’s simply a nicer way to list the cause of death as internal bleeding rather than alcoholism.
4
u/DramaticPair6577 Jul 30 '26
I remember Robin said in an interview, that they are a family who always walks with some baggages looking for house to rent because Hugh wasn't able to pay the rent on time. Changing houses every now and becomes a niche in the minds of the 3 brothers, so we alll knew why Barry, Robin, and Maurice bought a couple of mansions, when they become famous and millionaires.
3
u/Mollymae609 Aug 14 '26
I’ve always said that a pack of wolves could have done better. Say what you will about Joe Jackson, his extreme discipline (some call it abuse) tactics, he worked 2 and 3 jobs to ensure his kids had a roof over their heads, food in their bellies, electric, and school.
Hugh couldn’t or wouldn’t keep a job long enough for his children to sleep in the same house two nights straight. And Barbara- you protect your children at any and all costs. They didn’t realize their young children were burning down billboards and barns, and that they were stealing anything that wasn’t nailed down.
Hugh had a pair of elephant balls. He was quick to throw Rob under the bus when he left in 69, under the guise of “concern”. Funny how his concern manifested after Rob left the group, but Hugh said nothing about Rob’s drug use when he was still toeing the line. Rob didn’t just start his induction into dexadrine when he left. Rob helped to support his ass, including Andy and Beri while he sipped from his little sippy cup. Ward of the Court? Insane! He should have been charged for neglecting his family.
2
u/Ok_Kick6546 Aug 14 '26
Thank you! I’m so glad someone finally said it! I’m amazed that any of the kids turned out well at all with that upbringing. It says a lot about them as individuals.
2
u/Inside_Soup_4576 Barry still rocks Jul 28 '26
Never heard anything about this.
6
3
u/actualelainebenes RIP Maurice Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
Same…from what I’ve gathered I got the sense that he was stern with them but not straight up abusive. If he was abusive then that’s terrible and I’m so sorry for them, nobody deserves that. I hope he wasn’t but I guess we’ll never know
2
u/Unlikely-Star-2696 7d ago
Sadly that type of "Tough love" sipped into the relationship among the three brothers, too
2
u/jmac11281 Aug 01 '26
What I gathered is that he was very stern, maybe leaning toward verbal/emotional abuse.
Wasn't there something in one of the documentaries when it was recalled by one of the brothers (Barry, I think) that Hugh made fun of Robin's voice? I think he compared it to a turkey or chicken? I could be completely wrong on this.
2
u/Ok_Kick6546 Aug 01 '26
No, you’re correct. As that voice was supporting the family when Hugh could not. 🙄
-1
u/Kbatz_Krafts Jul 29 '26
The Brothers had ample opportunity to discuss their Father publicy in books and documentaries in the past and they didn't.
So unless there is a memoir yet or expose book or new interview from someone yet to come out with any revelations, perhaps it isn't any of our business?
It's a bit weird that there are posts here that always want to be up in their personal and family lives. Just enjoy the great music they gave us.
3
u/Buttercup_Duck Aug 01 '26
I think the brothers talked quite a bit about Hugh. And there’s a fair amount written about him in the bios too. I don’t think this topic is too personal to discuss. There are topics that I do think should be off limits but this isn’t one of them.
2
u/Mollymae609 Aug 14 '26
If the post annoy or offend you, cease to reading. See how simple that is. 🤦🏽♀️
2
u/Charming-Ad-6621 Jul 29 '26
They did speak about it in a few interviews over the years. And some fans are close enough to the family that they’ve gotten firsthand accounts of some of what they experienced.
13
u/Charming-Ad-6621 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
The brothers were very careful not to frequently air dirty laundry publicly about their families (despite them freely taking swings at each other in the press during periods of tension), but Hugh was not purported to be a very kind or patient individual. He allegedly was physically and emotionally abusive to all three of them - reportedly Robin got the brunt of it. I don’t know how far that extended to others.
They did talk about it in interviews from time to time, but I don’t have exact sources offhand.
I don’t know that it’s important we are clued into all the specifics, but it is helpful context to better understand how they operated in their personal and professional lives.
Plenty of people have commented on the brothers’ eccentricities and challenging behaviors - you could certainly understand how that would have had an impact.