John Farnham details allegations about former manager in new memoir ‘The Voice Inside’

A young John Farnham with then-manager Darryl Sambell (left).

Warning: This story contains allegations of sexual harassment and drug harm.

Australian music legend John Farnham makes a series of disturbing claims about his late former manager in his new book.

Australian music legend John Farnham makes disturbing claims about his late former music manager in his new book, revealing that he was secretly drugged “for years” in the early part of his career.

In new excerpts from his memoir The Voice Inside published by The Australian overnight, Farnham opens up about the mistreatment he suffered from manager Darryl Sambell during the early years of his career, when he was a teen pop idol in the 1960s with hits like Sadie the Cleaning Lady.

Farnham writes that Sambell “drugged me for years and I had no f***ing idea,” until one day he discovered a half-dissolved pill in the bottom of his cup of coffee.

Asked what it was, Sambell told his client: “That’s just something to keep you awake.”

Farnham also writes that his manager, who was openly gay, was “aggressively sexual” towards him and he would constantly find himself having to fend off his advances.

“I said it often enough that I can see now that this rejection turned his attraction into jealousy, hatred and a desire for control.”

In his new book, Farnham says he feels “sorrow” about the early part of his career. Photo / Getty Images

That domination went on for years, with Sambell controlling “where and when I worked, what I sang, what I wore, what I ate.”

Farnham ended up “isolated from friends and family,” even from wife Jill, who he married in 1973.

Farnham finally sacked Sambell in 1976, later forming one of Australian music’s most successful partnerships with music manager Glenn Wheatley, who helped his career soar to new heights in the 1980s and 90s.

Sambell died in 2001. Farnham writes in the new memoir that he now looks back on the early years of his career with a mixture of sorrow and shame: “I feel so ashamed of myself for not realising what Darryl was up to or speaking up more often to put him back in his place.”

He admitted he had found it hard to “unpick” what had happened to him until forced to confront it while writing his memoir.

“But now that I’ve confronted it, I look back on that time with sorrow. I’m annoyed at myself for being so gullible and trusting,” he writes.

Farnham’s book will be released this week, with the music icon making a surprise announcement earlier this month: He’ll narrate the audiobook himself, more than two years after undergoing gruelling surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in his mouth.

A small taster of the audiobook has already been released by publisher Hachette Australia, and fans will hear one of Australia’s most recognisable voices sounding a little different post-cancer treatment as he explains why it’s taken him so long to write his memoirs.

John Farnham performing on stage at the 2004 Mission Estate Winery Concert in Napier. Farnham finally tells his story in his new book, The Voice Inside. Photo / Andrew Labett

“I don’t enjoy talking about myself, I really don’t. Don’t get me wrong, I’m an egomaniac, but dredging up the past is just not something I’ve ever really enjoyed,” Farnham says.

“I’ll try and share as much as I can, but that’s not easy because I’ve never really been that open. I guess there are reasons for that. Reasons for my reluctance …”

Farnham has largely stayed out of the public eye since announcing in August 2022 that he was to undergo immediate surgery after being diagnosed with cancer.

The same day, he underwent a 12-hour surgery, involving a jaw reconstruction, to remove a tumour in his mouth.

One year later, he had some happy news to share, telling fans he was “cancer-free” while also revealing he’d had many more procedures since his original surgery.

DRUG HARM

Where to get help:
• 0800 METH HELP (0800 6384 4357)
• Alcohol Drug Helpline (Phone 0800 787 797 or text 8681)
• They also have a Māori line on 0800 787 798 and a Pasifika line on 0800 787 799

MALE SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS

Where to get help:
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
• If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on 0800 044 334 or text 4334. (available 24/7)
• Male Survivors Aotearoa offers a range of confidential support at centres across New Zealand - find your closest one here.
• Men and Trauma New Zealand: 0800 636 263
• Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.
If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.