Baby hoax: The Man denies new mini-Van claims

HE hasn’t had a brown-eyed girl or a blue-eyed boy and he is pretty hacked off that his own website has claimed otherwise.

Van Morrison was forced to issue a public statement yesterday insisting that, while he may still be “The Man”, he ain’t the daddy, after reports claimed he had fathered a mini-Van at the ripe old age of 64.

On Tuesday a snippet appeared on his own website announcing the birth of George Ivan Morrison III to the musician and Gigi Lee, who it said was his manager.

The piece went so far as to claim the little boy was “the spitting image of his daddy” who would be “a dual citizen of Northern Ireland/United Kingdom and the United States”.

However, all this was news to the singer and his high-profile wife, former Miss Ireland Michelle Rocca.

While his mama might have told him there are often “days like this” for the rich and famous, Morrison is renowned for his reclusive approach to publicity, so he left the job of correcting the inaccuracy to family friend and public relations expert John Saunders who contacted RTÉ to set the record straight.

“On December 29 a statement appeared on Van’s website which said he had a baby with a particular individual,” he said. “I contacted him, because I was really surprised that this would have happened. I have spoken to him twice today. He has categorically denied this. Someone appears to have hacked into his website. This is the second time this has happened in the last three months.”

Mr Saunders also insisted the Belfast-born singer had never heard of the name “Gigi Lee”.

In a statement issued to news agencies yesterday afternoon Van Morrison was unequivocal. “The comments which appeared on my website did not come from me. They are completely and utterly without foundation. For the avoidance of all doubt, and in the interests of clarity, I am very happily married to Michelle Morrison with whom I have two wonderful children.”