Irish singer Van Morrison has always denied paternity. REUTERS/Eloy Alonso Irish singer Van Morrison has always denied paternity. REUTERS/Eloy Alonso
Van Morrison has been hit by a double tragedy in the space of a year with the death of a former lover and the baby said to have resulted from their relationship.
The singer was said to be heart-broken by the death of his American lover Gigi Lee when the news was revealed last week.
Now it has emerged that the child he apparently fathered with Gigi Lee is dead as well.
George Ivan Morrison III was aged just 13 months when he passed away in January.
Morrison has always denied he was the boy’s father, though Miss Lee - the singer’s former tour manager - insisted he was.
The 44-year-old Texan died from throat cancer in Northern Ireland in October, 2011. She had moved across the Atlantic with George to be close to Morrison, who lives in County Dublin. Some reports claimed he had moved to Northern Ireland with Miss Lee and the youngster.
One of her friends, Carla Higdon, 46, said: “It is just so incredibly sad. I am completely devastated.” It is the latest twist in the bizarre story of Miss Lee and Morrison, who is married to former model Michelle Rocca.
On Saturday, Morrison’s lawyers went to court in an attempt to prevent reporting of details surrounding the youngster’s death and other “private” material.
At the hearing, his legal team stated Morrison still did not accept paternity of the baby.
Miss Lee is understood to have been diagnosed with cancer shortly before George’s birth.
Miss Higdon said: “She pulled back her hair and showed me a lump in her neck. It was huge.
“They told her that the tumour had wound itself around her carotid artery and if they tried to remove it, her face would be paralysed and her speech would be impaired.
“She was in great pain and she was very shaken. She was afraid most of all for the baby.”
The child’s death came “as a total shock”, according to a British acquaintance of Miss Lee. Miss Lee died at the Marie Curie Hospice in Belfast.
The story of Morrison and Miss Lee began in Christmas 2009, days after George was born when an announcement appeared on the singer’s official website.
The statement read: “Gigi and Van Morrison are proud to announce the birth of their first son, George Ivan Morrison III. ‘Little Van’, born December 28, 2009 - the spitting image of his daddy.” The message was quickly removed from the website and the singer branded it a hoax.
A string of vehement denials about the claim of his paternity of the newborn boy followed - along with denials that he even knew Miss Lee. However, within days a photograph of the star and Miss Lee together had emerged. Miss Lee also emailed reporters to insist the baby was Morrison’s.
In early 2010, Morrison spent thousands in legal fees in an effort to have the relationship kept under wraps by applying for a court injunction.
Attempts to keep the injunction in place were abandoned in April, 2011. - Daily Mail
