John Farnham reveals that his former manager secretly drugged him for years when he was a young man struggling to come to terms with his newfound fame.
The Australian singer, 75, made this shocking claim about Darryl Sambell in his new memoir, The Voice Inside.
Farnham claims Sambell slipped substances into his coffee during an early period in his career, when he had tight control over almost every aspect of his life and career.
“He drugged me for years and I had no fucking idea,” Farnham writes.
The singer was first alarmed when he found a half-dissolved pill at the bottom of his coffee cup.
When confronted, Sambell allegedly downplayed the situation, telling him, “That’s something that will help you stay awake.”
Sambell “controlled where and when I worked, what I sang, what I wore, what I ate,” Farnham says.
“He isolated me from friends and family, tried to keep me away from (my wife) Jill, drugged me and made me believe that all my success, everything I had, was because of him.”
John Farnham has revealed his former manager secretly drugged him for years. Photographed in 1987
He said the manager’s influence was so pervasive that he did not recognize the manipulation at the time.
Reflecting on the deception and its effects, Farnham admits to feeling a deep sense of regret and guilt.
“I feel very ashamed of myself for not realizing what Darryl was doing or for not speaking up more often to put him back in his place.”
He continued: ‘I didn’t question any of it, I just carried on as if nothing was out of line. I still don’t know why I didn’t react more.
“I attribute it to being young, being stressed, tired and feeling insecure and insecure about my own instincts.”
“He drugged me for years and I had no fucking idea,” Farnham writes in his memoirs, according to new excerpts published by The Australian. The discovery occurred one day when the singer noticed a half-dissolved pill at the bottom of his cup of coffee.
Farnham also describes how Sambell, who was openly gay during a time when homosexuality was illegal in Australia, made unwanted advances towards him.
“At that time, in the early years, he was aggressively sexual with me,” Farnham writes.
“He would ‘try it on’ and I would say, ‘Darryl, no. Leave me alone” or “It’s not going to happen.”
“I’ve said it so many times that I can now see that this rejection turned his attraction into jealousy, hatred, and a desire for control.”
Farnham finally cut ties with Sambell in 1976, ending a decade-long professional relationship.
Despite this, the emotional scars remained and it took Farnham years to come to terms with what had happened.
Farnham says he feels ‘sad’ for early part of career
“Many years have passed since then, and until now, I have found it very difficult to unravel what happened to me,” he shares.
‘But now that I have faced it, I remember that moment with sadness. I’m upset with myself for being so gullible and trusting.’
Sambell died in 2001.
