“He was so intoxicatingly good on that stage… It just elevated your mood. He just becomes one with the music. I was blown away.” That’s how supermodel Helena Christensen, 51, describes her late ex-boyfriend Michael Hutchence in the new documentary Mystify. Anyone who was blessed to see the INXS singer perform live will know that the Danish beauty is telling the truth about the remarkable star whose life was tragically cut short in November 1997 when he was just 37. For those who never got to see Michael on stage – or who know little about the Aussie musician – Mystify, which appears in U.S. movie theaters for one night only on January 7, gives a glimpse into his whirlwind life.
With his mass of unruly curls, Jagger-like dance moves and twinkling eyes, Michael was the Australian heartthrob that the world didn’t know it needed. The star burst onto the international stage in the 1980s as a member of INXS – the band that dominated pop charts with hits like “Need You Tonight,” “Never Tear Us Apart” and “New Sensation.” And, just like Chris and Liam Hemsworth today, the Aussie hunk’s love life made headlines. His high profile girlfriends included singer Kylie Minogue and Helena, both of whom are featured in Mystify.
“The storybook of this is that he’s like a dark bad boy and I was the pure good girl and that was pretty much the truth,” Kylie, now 51, says in the preview clip above, which includes intimate never-before-seen home videos of the couple together. “If you’re a sensual being all of your senses need stimulation. He definitely awakened my desire for other things in my world. He loved seeing me experiencing a new wine or me learning about a new pleasure. A lot of it was based around pleasure. Let’s face it.”
For Helena it was the rocker’s charisma that is unforgettable. As photos of him partying with supermodels Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer flash across the screen she says, “Michael had that very alluring magnetic energy about him. You know when there’s one person in a room that has a special light and everyone’s drawn to that? That was him.”
Sadly, Michael’s life came to an end on Nov. 22, 1997 when the 37-year-old hung himself in a hotel room in Sydney, Australia. The final years of his life were plagued with press scrutiny and scandal thanks to his affair with British TV star and journalist Paula Yates who was married to Irish rock star Bob Geldof. The mother-of-four (who later died of a heroin overdose in 2000) gave birth to their daughter Tiger Lily in 1996.
But, while Mystify covers the tragic parts of Michael’s life, it also celebrates the cosmic-like energy of a man who left this earth far too soon. Had he lived Michael would have turned 60 on January 22. This documentary is a fitting tribute to his legacy. Mystify: Michael Hutchence plays in select theaters across the U.S. at 7pm local time on January 7. Go to Fathomevents.com for more info.