Police in Sydney spoke to Paula Yates, partner of rock star Michael Hutchence, for the first time since her traumatic 22-hour flight after hearing of his apparent suicide. They arranged a more formal interview which will probably take place today. Ms Yates also met Hutchence's parents, Mr Kel Hutchence and Ms Patricia Glassop, to finalise details of Hutchence's funeral, which will be held at Sydney's St Andrew's Cathedral tomorrow. Veteran Australian entrepreneur Mr Harry M. Miller announced yesterday he had obtained international television rights for the service, which will feature music by INXS, the group Hutchence (37) had fronted for 20 years. The funeral will take place at 3.30 a.m. Irish time. Sydney police said yesterday they had also interviewed Kym Wilson, the actress who, with her boyfriend, was with Hutchence at the upmarket Ritz-Carlton Hotel into the early hours of the day he died.
Bob Geldof, Ms Yates's former husband, has declined to be drawn into a row over Hutchence's death. Ms Yates, who had planned to marry Hutchence in January, has said her lover committed suicide because of the acrimony surrounding her divorce.
Hutchence was found hanged in his hotel room on Saturday. An Australian coroner said it was unclear whether he had committed suicide.
Geldof declined to comment on Ms Yates's remarks. "I don't talk about these type of things at all. I haven't talked about this for three years and I don't think I'll start now. I probably never will," he said outside his London home.
Ms Yates (37), a former British television presenter, said at the weekend Hutchence died after she telephoned to tell him she could not join him in Australia as planned because of a continuing court case over custody of her three daughters with Geldof.
Geldof has acknowledged receiving a phone call from Hutchence hours before the Australian star was found hanging from a leather belt.
The Express newspaper yesterday quoted Geldof as telling friends there was no argument. "He called up in the early hours of the morning and I couldn't understand a word he said. I just put the phone down." The newspaper said Geldof told friends Hutchence had bombarded him with phone calls for months.
Sydney police yesterday would not confirm reports that other hotel guests overheard Hutchence having an angry phone conversation shortly before he died, apparently with Geldof. They heard a man's voice shouting: "She's not your wife any more. Stop interfering."
It is claimed the witnesses say they heard the shouts at about 9 a.m. local time on Saturday, just hours before the singer's body was found hanging in his room by a member of staff.
A friend of Ms Yates said she had rung Geldof after being told of her boyfriend's death and screamed at him: "You have murdered Michael as surely as if you'd strangled him yourself."