Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley claims his he was “groomed” and sexually abused by the band’s former manager, who’s 18 years his senior.
According to the Los Angeles Times, The “Fatlip” singer made his allegation against Greig Nori in his memoir “Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell” which went on sale Tuesday.
Whibley says he was 16 when he met Nori, who was 34 years old and playing in the band Canadian punk group Treble Charger. Whibley, also a Canadian musician, said he looked up to Nori, with whom he struck up a friendship after sneaking backstage at a Treble Charger show.
Nori allegedly gave him alcohol for the first time — shots of Goldschläger. The two worked together as songwriters and exchanged ideas.
According to Whibley, his relationship with Nori turned physical after he turned 18 years old and his mentor “passionately” kissed him at a party where there was booze and ecstasy. The Sum 41 star said he walked away shocked by what happened, but the sexual encounters continued. Whibley claims he never identified with homosexuality and was told by Nori he didn’t either, but their connection was “so special.”
Eventually Nori came to manage Sum 41. He held that job from the around 1997 to 2005.
Whibley said it was pop punk artist Avril Lavigne, whom he started in dating in 2004, who spelled out for him that he’d been sexually abused. Lavigne and Whibley married in 2006 and split three years later.
According to Whibley, his former manager and tormenter also manipulated him professionally. That included receiving songwriting credits on their albums “Does This Look Infected?” and “Chuck,” which Noori produced. A lawsuit against Nori returned those rights to Whibley.
Nori didn’t respond to the Los Angeles Times’ requests for comment.