NEWSMickey Rooney's Elder Abuse Testimony: Actor Claims, "My Daily Life Became Unbearable"
March 3 2011, Published 5:56 a.m. ET
Veteran actor Mickey Rooney is beloved by many and known for his roles opposite screen siren Judy Garland dating back to the 1930s. Now, the 90-year-old actor finds himself in a very different place, turning to lawmakers Wednesday to speaking out that he has been the victim of elder abuse for years at the hands of his eighth wife and stepson.
The lovable actor has starred in more than 300 films and was given an honorary Lifetime Achievement Oscar for his lengthy career on screen.
But yesterday was an extremely emotional day for the actor, who revealed he had been abused for years by his wife Christina Aber and her son Christopher, 52, over the course of several years, who allegedly withheld food, kept him a "prisoner in his home," denied him medication and took claim to some of his financial assets.
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“My money was stolen from me. I was eventually stripped of the ability to make even the most basic decisions… my daily life became unbearable,” Mickey told the Senate Special Committee on Aging, who has been examining and holding an inquiry on elderly abuse across America, yesterday in Washington, D.C., via NBC'S Nightly News With Brian Williams.
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The actor urged his audience to pass a measure to make the abuse of seniors at the hands of family members and caregivers a criminal offense.
“When a man feels helpless, it is terrible. And I was helpless… for years I suffered silently, unable to muster the courage to seek the help I knew I needed. I’m asking you to stop this elderly abuse," the very emotional father of nine said to Congress members. “Stop it now. Now tomorrow, not next month, but now.”
A judge in L.A. is reportedly extending a restraining order that prevents Christina from going anywhere near Mickey until a scheduled court hearing set for April 5.
Watch Mickey's touching testimony below. WARNING — It's a tearjerker.
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