Michael Hutchence’s Sister Calls Channel 7’s INXS Telemovie ‘Complete Fabrication’
INXS lead vocalist Michael Hutchence’s half-sister is lashing out at Channel 7 for showing a “soap opera” about her brother. Tina Hutchence said that the two-part series “INXS: Never Tear Us Apart” was a “complete fabrication” of their family.
Tina told Nova 100 that the show left her feeling “angry and sad for Michael.”
“Michael is the only Australian so far who has become a bona fide rock star on the international stage as far as I know, and I really think they really owed it to the Australian public, who let’s face it, supported them on the pub circuit on the way up, to give a true account of the INXS rise and fall,” she said on the radio show’s special podcast titled “Behind INXS: Never Tear Us Apart – The Sister, The Manager, The Friend.”
“I mean they certainly owe it to Michael and his family and his friends to do better than that soap opera.”
Tina has also a few words to say about Michael’s bandmembers.
“Thank God he (Michael) was the front man, they should be happy and thankful for what he did,” she told host Meshel Laurie.
“He took them from obscurity to playing Wembley in front of 80,000 people, and I’m not saying that the other guys... you know they’re very talented... but quite honestly Michael could’ve stood in front of any five guys and make them look good.”
The rock band’s five surviving members will be reuniting in the final chapter of the special on Sunday. They are expected to give candid interviews and relive the impact of Michael’s death on the band.
Michael was the founding member and lead singer of INXS. While the band enjoyed massive success in the ‘80s, the band faced dwindling popularity in the mid-‘90s. Michael remained in the international spotlight, largely because of his high-profile relationships.
He was found dead on Nov 22, 1997 in his hotel room in Sydney. It was ruled that he committed suicide while depressed and nder the influence of alcohol and drugs. He was 37.