Don McLean, the singer/songwriter behind the rock classic “American Pie,” was arrested Monday for domestic violence and his wife was granted an order of protection.
The 70-year-old singer was arrested at his Camden, Maine home after police received a 911 call at 2 a.m. Monday. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and released on $10,000 bail. He will be back in court on Feb. 22.
McLean’s wife, Patrisha, submitted a handwritten request for protection from McLean, reports The Associated Press. She claimed that McLean’s abuse left her bruised and she feared for her life when she called police.
“Don terrorized me for four hours, until the 911 call that I think might have saved my life,” Patrisha wrote. She also called his rage during their first years of marriage “unfathomably deep and scary.”
In his own statement to the AP, the “American Pie” singer said that his marriage of nearly 30 years is in a “very painful breakdown” and he isn’t a “villain.”
“I may never recover from this but I will try and hope to continue to entertain you all as I always have,” McLean added and denied his wife’s allegations.