Don McLean’s daughter Jackie alleges emotional and mental abuse by her father

Don McLean has denied the allegations

Don McLean performs at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, on 5 February 2020 (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Don McLean’s daughter Jackie McLean has alleged that her father emotionally and mentally abused her for years.

Jackie opened up about her childhood in a new report published on Wednesday by Rolling Stone.

She told the publication the alleged abuse began when she was a child, with verbal attacks and isolation.

“There was a constant state of fear in the house about the slightest thing [that] would make my dad turn into a crazy person,” Jackie told Rolling Stone. “…If somebody moved an item in the house and he didn’t know where it was, then he would go on a rampage for hours… And everyone was just constantly on edge because it was chaos.”

Jackie isn’t alleging physical abuse on her father’s part. She told Rolling Stone she has felt physical manifestations of her trauma, stating: “If I talk about my experiences, my teeth chatter and I get cold and sweaty even if I hear his name.”

Don McClean has denied any abusive behaviour, as well all allegations that he isolated or conditioned anyone. “I don’t understand what mental and emotional abuse is,” he told Rolling Stone. “There would never be any paralysing attacks ’cause her mother was always around. I would never attack her anyway; I would never attack anybody. If I yelled at you for five minutes you’d think I yelled at you for an hour because it’s shocking. I would snap sometimes; I did have a temper. ”

The Independent has contacted Don McLean’s representative for comment.

Jackie says the alleged abuse caused her to develop anxiety, depression, and OCD, as well as coping rituals.

The “American Pie” singer in 2016 was arrested on charges including domestic violence assault against his estranged wife. He initially pleaded not guilty, then entered a guilty plea. The domestic violence assault charge was eventually dismissed.

He has denied assaulting his ex-wife and his lawyer said in a previous statement that the reason for the plea was “not because he was in fact guilty of anything, but to provide closure for his family and keep the whole process as private as possible”.