DeBarge's Tragic Real-Life Story

June 2024 ยท 2 minute read

According to their mother Etterlene (above), the DeBarge siblings had music in their blood. Speaking with MLive, the matriarch recalled that her father, a choir director, was a deeply talented and entertaining musician. One of 11 children herself, Etterlene would have 10 kids, most of whom became famous musicians in the 1980s. While the DeBarges might have taken after their grandfather talent-wise, their father Robert DeBarge Sr. may have had the largest impact.

Etterlene met Robert shortly after her father died. She was 17 and romantically inexperienced. Robert was four years older, in the army, and white, which made him socially forbidden fruit. Unfortunately, he was also "insanely jealous," according to Etterlene, and ordered her not to wear jewelry, makeup, or anything else that might attract another man. After a hasty wedding, things rapidly went downhill. Etterlene said Robert tormented her physically and emotionally, even keeping her "continuously pregnant."

Etterlene's children had horrific memories of their father. "My father sexually molested a lot of my brothers and sisters," Chico DeBarge told Vibe. Bobby allegedly took the bulk of the abuse, but all the children suffered. Bunny would blame the siblings' professional woes and personal struggles on the ugliness they endured as children. Robert Sr. denied ever abusing his family, but something certainly scarred them.

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