Introduction:
CLIFF RICHARD has opened up about how the loss of his dad affected him, as the singer admitted he considered hiring a psychic so he could talk to him again following his death.
Sir Cliff Richard, 80, has revealed he was persuaded not to hire a medium following his dad Rodger Webb’s death. He admitted he was desperate to speak to his dad, who tragically died when the singer was just 21-years-old after suffering from lung disease.
However, bass player Brian “Licorice” Locking warned Sir Cliff against the idea, as he was concerned it would offend God.
Cliff opened up about his heartbreaking loss in his autobiography The Dreamer: “Every day, I missed dad so much. While in Australia, I had seen an advert for a medium. I mentioned that I was thinking of finding a medium to try to talk to dad.
“Licorice was horrified. ‘That’s a terrible idea!’ he told me. ‘Do you realise how dangerous it is? It is expressly forbidden in the Bible!’”
After learning about the worrying passage, Cliff became a Christian in the 60s when he was with The Shadows.
In an extract obtained by the Daily Star, the musician added he “still dreams” about his dad and that he is “happy and pleased to have seen him again” when he wakes up.
Sir Cliff’s dad Rodger was a manager for a catering contractor that worked with Indian Railways.
As a result, when he was born, Cliff’s family lived in British India in Maqbara.
After 1948, when India became independent, they moved to the UK and arrived in Essex.
Rodger sparked his son’s interest in music, as he bought the star, born Harry Rodger Webb, a guitar when he was 16.
Elsewhere, Sir Cliff spilled on a relationship he kept under wraps.
He started a romance with a dancer he met at the London Palladium in 1960, which he embarked on in secret until the former couple split less than a year later.