Singer Ryan Adams has spoken up almost 17 months after being accused by seven women – including ex-wife Mandy Moore – of sexual misconduct and emotional abuse.
“There are no words to express how bad I feel about the ways I've mistreated people throughout my life and career,” he wrote in an open letter published Friday by the UK’s Daily Mail. “All I can say is that I'm sorry. It's that simple.”
The letter’s authenticity was confirmed by Adams’ lawyer Andrew Brettler.
The 45-year-old singer admitted: “This period of isolation and reflection made me realize that I needed to make significant changes in my life.
“I hope that the people I've hurt will heal. And I hope that they will find a way to forgive me.”
MORE: Ryan Adams Faces Allegations From Several Women
In an article published by The New York Times in February 2019, Moore claimed Adams was psychologically abusive and controlling during their seven-year marriage, which ended in 2016.
Singers Phoebe Bridgers and Courtney Jaye made claims about Adams’ behaviour and his ex-fiancée Megan Butterworth accused him of physical intimidation and online harassment.
A woman identified only as Ava said she starting exchanging messages with Adams in 2013, when she was only 14. She alleged they eventually had sexually explicit conversations via text and Skype, where the singer exposed himself.
On Twitter, Adams insisted he “would never have inappropriate interactions with someone I thought was underage. Period.” He called the article “upsettingly inaccurate” and claimed “some of its details are misrepresented; some are exaggerated; some are outright false.”
He tweeted: “I am not a perfect man and I have made many mistakes. To anyone I have ever hurt, however unintentionally, I apologize deeply and unreservedly.”
In Friday’s open letter, Adams wrote: “I've gotten past the point where I would be apologizing just for the sake of being let off the hook and I know full well that any apology from me probably won't be accepted by those I've hurt.
“I get that and I also understand that there's no going back.”
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Adams acknowledged the “harm” he caused and explained that he was projecting his own pain onto others.
“I made a promise to myself that no matter what it took, I would get to the root of these issues and finally start to fix myself so I could be a better friend, a better partner, and a better man overall,” he wrote.
Adams said he is getting professional help to get sober. “Sobriety is a priority in my life, and so is my mental health,” he wrote. “These, as I'm learning, go hand in hand.”
Adams, who has not released an album since 2017’s Prisoner, hinted that new music could be on the way. (On the same day his letter was published, Adams announced on Instagram that he had relaunched his website.)
“Music is how I lay my soul bare, and in working through this, I have written enough music to fill half a dozen albums,” he said. “Some of these songs are angry, many are sad but most of them are about the lessons I've learned over the last few years. Those ones an expression of my deepest remorse.”