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#SHOWBIZ: Sum 41 singer alleges sexual abuse by former manager in memoir

KUALA LUMPUR: Frontman of the Canadian rock band Sum 41, Deryck Whibley, has alleged in his newly released memoir that he was sexually abused for years by the band's former manager, Greig Nori.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Whibley claims the abuse began when he was a teenager and spanned several years, shaping much of his early career.

In Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell, which was published Tuesday, Whibley recounts the band's rise to international fame, but also sheds light on a darker chapter involving Nori, who was instrumental in launching the band's success.

Nori, who was then in his 30s and the frontman of a popular Canadian indie band, met Whibley after a show and became his mentor before eventually managing the band.

Whibley claims that Nori initiated an unwanted sexual relationship when he was 18, during a night at a rave when he was under the influence of ecstasy.

The singer alleges that the coercion continued for four years, evolving into a deeply uncomfortable dynamic.

"Greig kept pushing for things to happen when we were together," Whibley writes in the memoir, explaining how he felt pressured into a relationship against his will.

When the physical relationship ended, Whibley alleges that the abuse became verbal and psychological.

He confided in his ex-wife, singer Avril Lavigne, who affirmed that what he experienced was abuse.

The couple were married from 2006 to 2009.

Nori, for his part, has denied the allegations, calling them "false" and indicating that he has hired a defamation lawyer.

Sum 41, formed in 1996, has sold over 15 million albums worldwide. The band is currently on its farewell tour and plans to disband after 28 years.

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