Michael Hutchence's half-sister has penned an open letter to his only child Tiger Lily ahead of her 18th birthday.In a message published in New Idea Magazine, Tina Hutchence implores her niece to return to Australia, the home of her late father Michael.
Tiger Lily has been raised in the UK by Sir Bob Geldof following the deaths of both her father and her mother Paula Yates. Since being adopted by the Geldofs in 2000, it is thought she has made just one visit to Australia to spend time with Michael’s mother Patricia Glassop.Now, two weeks ahead of Tiger Lily's milestone birthday, Michael's half-sister has urged her to "visit Australia, the country he loved so much"."He made certain you had an Australian passport, and he desperately wanted you to spend your formative years here," Tina wrote.
Tiger Lily was just 16 months old when the INXS frontman passed away at the age of 37 – her mother Paula, who left Sir Bob for Michael, died three years later. In her letter, Tina shares some of her own memories of how Michael doted on his baby daughter. "You don't remember how he held you to his chest and sang in a voice so sweet and gentle until you closed your eyes and drifted off; but I do," she wrote.
Tiger Lily has lived much of her life out of the spotlight; the most recent pictures of her were shared, poignantly, by her half-sister Peaches Geldof.Peaches' death in April at the age of 25 was the latest tragedy to hit the Geldof family. Tina and Michael's former bandmates were among those who expressed their sorrow following the news.Tearful Tina said she struggled to speak about Peaches' death, expressing great sorrow for her family. A spokesman for INXS manager CM Murphy said in a statement, "CM Murphy and INXS are in complete shock and need a moment to process this news."
Last week, Peaches' heartbroken father Bob spoke of the "intolerable" grief of losing his daughter in his first interview since her death. "I go into organisation mode and that distracts me," he told ITV's Lorraine. "But, like anybody else, these things assault you without warning. "You could be talking to someone, you could be walking down the road, and suddenly out of the blue there's an awareness of her. And you know – I buckle."And I've got to be very careful because walking down the Kings Road there's paps (paparazzi) everywhere, so I have to duck off into a lane or something and blub for a while and then get on with it. I imagine that will be there for a long time."
