Four Tops star says hospital put him in straitjacket and ordered psychological examination after not believing he was famous singer
The lead singer of the Four Tops said a hospital put him in a straitjacket and ordered a psychological examination after refusing to believe that he was part of the world-famous Motown group.
Alexander Morris is the current lead singer of the legendary combo after joining in 2019.
After suffering from chest and breathing problems in April of last year, he went to the Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital in Warren, Detroit, for help.
However, he has claimed that staff at the hospital refused to believe he really was the famous singer, instead thinking he was mentally ill.
Morris, a black man, has since filed a lawsuit against the hospital, alleging racial discrimination and other misconduct, after staff, he claimed, put him in a straitjacket and ordered a psychological examination.
The 53-year-old went to the hospital with “clear symptoms of cardiac distress” and was placed on oxygen according to the federal lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, Sky News’ US partner NBC News reports.
However, Morris informed a nurse and security guard in the emergency room that he was part of the famous vocal quartet as he feared security concerns from possible stalkers or fans, but they didn’t believe him.
Instead, a doctor ordered a psychological evaluation and he was restrained for at least an hour and a half, the lawsuit says.
From left: Roquel Payton, Alexander Morris, Ronnie McNeir, and Duke Fakir of the Four Tops perform at the All In Music & Arts Festival in 2022
In a statement released by his attorneys, Morris said: “It was a terrifying experience to be in the middle of a medical emergency, to be placed into restraints, to have my oxygen turned off, my personal effects taken from me, and no help from the doctors and nurses because of the colour of my skin.
“Racial profiling nearly cost me my life.”
The lawsuit added that Morris had a “significant known history of cardiac disease” and the alleged racial discrimination delayed his hospital treatment.
Morris asked whether he could prove his identity to staff by showing his identification card, but the white male security guard ordered him to “sit his black ass down”, the lawsuit says.
It also alleges that Morris was ignored when he told staff members he was struggling to breathe and asked for the oxygen back, and when he asked for his possessions to be returned so he could seek treatment at another hospital.
The confusion was only cleared up when Morris’ wife arrived and saw what was happening, the lawsuit says.
After she told the security officers that Morris really was a famous Motown singer, a nurse went to his side and he showed her a video of him performing at the Grammys, the lawsuit says.
Only then, according to the legal action, was the straitjacket removed and oxygen returned to the singer.
It adds that the hospital offered Morris a $25 (£19.50) gift card as an apology – but he refused to accept it.
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Morris is now seeking more than $75,000 (£58,600) in damages at a jury trial.
The Four Tops started in the 1950s and have had hits like Baby, I Need Your Loving, I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) and It’s The Same Old Song.
They have since been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and have had a changing cast over the years.
In a statement, the hospital said: “We remain committed to honouring human dignity and acting with integrity and compassion for all persons and the community.
“We do not condone racial discrimination of any kind. We will not comment on pending litigation.”
Disgraced US film producer Harvey Weinstein is to be tried for a third time in a sexual assault case.
A jury in New York could not reach a verdict in June against the 73-year-old who was accused of raping actress Jessica Mann, and a mistrial was declared.
Judge Curtis Farber has said he wants the new trial to happen before the end of this year.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty in June of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and not guilty of assaulting Polish former runway model Kaja Sokola the same year.
Weinstein will be sentenced for the guilty verdict in Ms Haley’s case on 30 September.
He denied all of the charges. Throughout the retrial, his lawyers insisted the sexual encounters with his three accusers were “transactional” and “consensual,” and labelled the women as opportunists.
Weinstein was originally convicted of rape and criminal sexual act by the same court in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for the crimes.
Last year, however, New York’s highest court overturned the conviction, prompting Weinstein’s retrial this summer.
Weinstein was once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood – the co-founder of film and television production companies Miramax and The Weinstein Company, who produced films such as the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love, Pulp Fiction, and The Crying Game.
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In 2017, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him propelled the #MeToo movement.
Some of those accusations later led to criminal charges and his convictions in New York and California.
Before the retrial, Weinstein was also serving a 16-year prison sentence after being found guilty of rape in California in December 2022. He has also denied this charge.
Entertainment
Yungblud pays tribute to his hero Ozzy Osbourne as he opens up about ‘raw’ documentary Are You Ready, Boy?
Yungblud has told Sky News he hopes he can keep Ozzy Osbourne’s “spirit and energy” alive after performing at the metal legend’s final gig.
The singer-songwriter paid tribute to his hero at the premiere of his upcoming documentary, Are You Ready, Boy?, which he admitted had been an “uncomfortable” watch as it shows him at his most vulnerable.
It gives fans a glimpse behind the curtain during the process of recording live tracks from his fourth studio album, Idols, which topped the charts in June.
On stage at Back To The Beginning. Pic: Kazuyo Horie
Just a few weeks later, he was on stage at Back To The Beginning – Ozzy Osbourne‘s “final bow” reunion gig with Black Sabbath, held at Villa Park in Birmingham. The metal pioneer died less than three weeks later.
Yungblud, whose real name is Dom Harrison, performed a cover of Osbourne’s song Changes, and went on to release his version as a single, raising funds for the same charities as the concert.
Afterwards, Ozzy gifted him a cross which he keeps around his neck.
Ozzy on stage during his final performance. Pic: Ross Halfin
“Ozzy is everything to me, always has been,” he says. “And to be able to go on stage and honour my hero and sing that song to him, without knowing that they were his final days, was everything to me.
“I will try my best to keep that spirit and keep that energy alive. I love that guy. I got to know him personally at the end and I love that family. I’ve got nothing but love, always.”
Now, Harrison is getting ready for the release of Are You Ready, Boy?, which was filmed at the famous Hansa Studios in Berlin, the birthplace of albums including David Bowie’s Heroes and U2’s Achtung Baby!.
Are You Ready, Boy? is released later in August
Making music and all of his creative output he sees as “life or death”, he says in the film. “I mean, 100%,” he adds while on the red carpet. “I think that’s how I like to play, you know? I mean, red or black, every time.
“I love taking risks and this film is the most vulnerable I think I’ve ever been. It’s pretty uncomfortable for me to watch. I’ve seen it once, I’ll watch it tonight and probably never watch it again…
“I think in this day and age, it’s very easy for us to cut around things and make them palatable and digestible. I wanted to do something that would be raw and uncomfortable, and this is what came out.”
The film comes during an intense period for the star, who has just opened his own music venue and shop in London, and is also planning a world tour and the return of his own festival, Bludfest, in 2026.
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“I think it’s important for [fans] to know who I really am,” he says, of why he wanted to make the film. “I think 30 seconds on an Instagram video doesn’t quite cut it. It’s a fly-on-the-wall documentary… we didn’t have an overarching narrative at the start of it.
“I said, come with me for two weeks, roll the cameras and see what happens.”
The star also spoke about Bludfest, which he launched in 2024. The third event next year will be “bigger and better,” he says.
The festival was set up as he felt prices had become too expensive and he wanted to show it could be done differently.
“I had something to prove,” he says. “I think this festival was important… It made me sick, the price of tickets. And a lot of promoters, I don’t think, took me seriously.
“We made a massive statement and I will continue to do that. I love my community, I love my fanbase. They’re all I care about.”
Are You Ready, Boy? is out in cinemas on August 20 and 24
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