“American Pie” singer Don McLean says of his domestic violence arrest that he is “not a villain” and hopes he will “not be judged in this frantic media environment.”
McLean was arrested early Monday in Camden, Maine, where he has a home with his wife, Patrisha. He spoke out Thursday on Twitter.
“This last year and especially now have been hard emotional times for my wife my children and me,” said the 70-year-old musician, who lives in Maine with his wife Patrisha. “What is occurring is the very painful breakdown of an almost 30-year relationship.”
The singer added, “Our hearts are broken and we must carry on. There are no winners or losers but I am not a villain. I may never recover from this but I will try and hope to continue to entertain you all as I always have.”
He also said: “I ask God to give us the strength to find new happiness … and I hope people will realize that this will all be resolved but I hope I will not be judged in this frantic media environment.”
On Tuesday, Patrisha McLean told the New York Daily News that the situation Monday was “not much ado about nothing,” adding, “I can’t say anything more right now.”
According to the New York Post, McLean’s wife Patrisha has obtained a restraining order against her husband. The paper cites court papers filed by Patrisha in which she claims that the singer “terrorized me for 4 hours until the 911 call that I think might have saved my life.”
She also claimed that her husband “was scaring me with the intensity of his rage and the craziness in his eyes” and told her “I want to strangle you so bad.”
Patrisha McLean also claimed that her husband has displayed “unfathomably deep” rage, and referred to her with anti-Semitic slurs.
“For the first 10 years or so his rage was unfathomably deep and very scary — calling me horrible things like ‘hebe’ (I’m Jewish),” she wrote in her declaration.
This last year and especially now have been hard emotional times for my wife my children and me. #1/6
— Don McLean (@donmcleanonline) January 21, 2016
What is occurring is the very painful breakdown of an almost 30 year relationship… #2/6 — Don McLean (@donmcleanonline) January 21, 2016
Our hearts are broken and we must carry on. There are no winners or losers but I am not a villain… #3/6
— Don McLean (@donmcleanonline) January 21, 2016
I may never recover from this but I will try and hope to continue to entertain you all as I always have… #4/6 — Don McLean (@donmcleanonline) January 21, 2016
I ask God to give us the strength to find new happiness… #5/6
— Don McLean (@donmcleanonline) January 21, 2016
…and I hope people will realize that this will all be resolved but I hope I will not be judged in this frantic media environment. #6/6 — Don McLean (@donmcleanonline) January 21, 2016