Rick Astley didn't speak to his dad for 25 years after he was hit as a child
Rick Astley revealed he didn't talk to his father for 25 years before he died last year due to the singer's complicated relationship with him.
The Never Gonna Give You Up singer's father, Horace, raised him after his parents divorced when he was five years old. However, Rick ended up cutting ties with Horace and didn't have any contact with his father for over two decades until he died a few years ago in his 80s.
His mother, Cynthia, passed away last year and Rick underwent 'many years of therapy', to understand his relationship with his parents as well as the end of many tumultuous chapters. The singer decided to open up about his upbringing and family "because they are both gone."
"When he died, I hadn't spoken to him for 25 years, more," Rick said. "He was such a complicated person and, when my daughter was born, I decided I didn't want that complication in her life." Rick shares 31-year-old daughter Emilie with his wife of 20 years, Lene Bausager.
"Yes, he could come and stay and be great. Or 50 per cent of the time he'd be great, but then he'd be the darkest person in the world," the 57-year-old said while speaking to MailOnline. "I'm sure people who have complicated relationships with a parent will understand... The only regret is that I didn't have a dad who wasn't like that."
Rick Astley sues US rapper Yung Gravy for 'imitating Never Gonna Give You Up'Speaking about his father as well as his childhood, Rick said Horace was a 'sad, angry, old-fashioned guy who was struggling.' The legendary musician went on to say his dad 'only hit him twice'. After the second time, he immediately left home. Rick was 17 years old at the time.
Rick, who grew up in Lancashire, rose to fame in the 80s and became a worldwide sensation with Never Gonna Give You Up in 1987. Around the same time, he met his wife Lene, when he was just 21 years old. The pair didn't officially start dating until 1989 when he returned from a tour in Japan, but then they were together while he was touring, releasing music and when he changed direction with his sound in the early '90s.
In 1992 the pair welcomed a daughter named Emilie who is thought to live in Denmark where she works as a landscape gardener. "She's a real go-getter and we're both really proud of what she's achieved," Rick proclaimed in the same interview. He also told The Times in 2018 that he has a cute ritual with his daughter where they watch My Fair Lady whenever she is back home and the weather isn't great outside.