May have had something to do with some of his music.

I have to respect Rick's desire for privacy about his family and personal life. Just because he is a celebrity, doesn't mean he is not entitled to keep a part of his life private. When he draws the line on a question then reporters - EVEN OPRAH & BARBARA need to just shut up and move on to the next question if for no other reason than out of respect and of that isn't good enough, then they need to wonder if they want to have someone come into their lives and ask them to bare all the things that have gone wrong in their lives - to air all their "dirty little secrets."
As for the spousal abuse, I have my doubts that it was as big as it was made out to be. I've been on both sides of that proverbial fence. I'm the adult child of an abusive alcoholic birth father who ruined my childhood and caused major issues I had to work out as an adult in order to prevent that cycle of abuse from going yet another generation.
Additionally, I have dealt with what outsiders might view as spousal abuse when it wasn't that at all but if pushed to the ragged edge, it would be misconstrued as such when it was something else entirely. Try living life with a type I diabetic or even a type 2 diabetic; the type I diabetics are much harder to handle because when you commit to a long-term relationship with a lifelong type I diabetic, you learn the real meaning of what it's like to suffer from emotional whiplash. Their mood swings as they get older become more varied and the changes can turn on a dime so you sort of have to make sure to listen and pay attention to figure out if they're truly pissed off or if they are combative due to high blood sugar levels or if they come home appearing as if they're drunk yet they have no smell of alcohol on them and if you were to test them for it, the test would come back clean b/c they're not drunk. It's all a part of how diabetes works in the body. Btw, DH's blood sugars tend to run high rather than low; hwr, he had to start using a different insulin a few years ago and ever since then, it is important to keep a check on him b/c the new insulin, one of them anyhow, can cause a sugar level crash leaving him acting as if he is drunk.
I have never been fearful of DH hurting me or our children; hwr, when his sugar levels rise too high or too low but esp too high, he will become combative and argumentative so as a precaution, I've always had our kids go into 1 of their rooms and lock the doors until I tell them to come out. All the local paramedics and fire fighters as well as the police are aware of his diabetes status so they know if called, even if appears drunk, don't immediately jump to conclusions b/c it could very well and most likely be the result of having his sugar levels bottoming out until it would pass out and die without anything sweet in his system including liquid glucose for diabetes with low blood sugar levels. We also have pretty strong family members who can hold him down when he becomes combative when his sugar levels are too high b/c you cannot give insulin blindly. It's important to test his blood sugar levels then determine how much insulin he needs to bring it down without allowing him to bottom out b/c this can kill him (and other diabetics). It's esp true with DH b/c he has had major issues with his diabetes for the last several years as it's become progressively worse over the 2 and a half decades; however, we have a plan that is easily set into motion with two medical personnel who have a straight line to paramedics and/or fire or police who can show up within mins if needed. If they aren't required, he has a few big brothers and uncle as well as best friends who can hold him down long enough to get a glucometer resd on his blood then there's a matter of drawing enough insulin to lower the sugar levels without causing it to bottom him out though if that does happen, we do have liquid glucose on hand as it's easier to get into the body than anything else b/c it can go between teeth and into the system even through clenched teeth. The one thing I'm actually thankful for and he hates is the fact that he has no memory of what transpires during these episodes and he's not the first diabetic who has this happen. It's normal. It is as if the brain simply loses those memories when the glucose levels rise and fall to those extremes.
Has he ever hurt any of us? Physically - No. Verbally, he's tried by wanting to argue that he doesn't need help or doesn't wnat the help, esp during the high blood sugar crises as those are the combative times when it usually helps to have a few people around, esp those large enough to hold someone of his height, weight, & strength to keep him down until he's cared for and the sugar levels begin to drop into a more normal range, which is also when the memory starts back again.
As for me, he did push me down once. He pushed me back when he attempted to shut the door to prevent me from checking his sugar levels after he became combatant and I recognized it

Whatever happened, nothing came of it, because he's still married to Barbara.

If I remember correctly, I thought Rick said that that was a "misunderstanding" or something like that.
"What's on your mind, monkey-butt?"

I know a few years back, he DID get in trouble for spousal abuse. I think he was even arrested or brought in for questioning.

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He has admitted to being very depressed after breaking his collar bone in an ATV accident, but don't know anything about a suicide attempt.
"What's on your mind, monkey-butt?"

I'm pretty sure he confessed to infidelity. But more than anything, I think there was severe depressionand I'm not positive about this, but maybe even a suicide attemptbut please don't quote me on this, because I've heard him do lots of different interviews about his depression and I'm not positive that it ever went that far. But, he was a pretty lost man for quite a while and it was hard on his familynot to mention himself.

Yes his songs tell many stories.take a listen. And it is hintedthat things went both ways too. But it is their personal lives..and I think they keep it under wraps pretty good. They have a very long marriage, and they do seem to have a good thing going.
What is funny to me ishe wrote Don't Talk to Strangersabout her. HE was worried what she was doing while he was touring..etc..lol That to me is funny, coming from a HUGE star that had many women after HIM..lol

Does every country & western singer who sings about killing somebody in a gunfight have a murder in his background?
As John Lennon once said "You write something down & if it looks right you make it into a song." Not all songs are about personal experience.

You never know unless you ask, and it shouldn't hurt to ask. People need to be more liberated and not get so uptight about curiousity. That's why it's called a "message board". It wasn't invented to insult others and start pointless arguements. BTW, I listen to Rick Springfield all the time and just because he writes songs about different situations does not mean he has actually lived through the experiences. (Most likely yes, but not always). Either way, Rick is a celebrity and he has to deal with people drawing up their own accusations over his life. Oprah was just doing he job asking him questions (obviously to keep ratings up). If it's true that the situation in 2000 was clearly "overblown" then why didn't Barbara get arrested for trying a jar of olives at Rick instead of vice-versa? I believe the Bill of Rights guarantees Freedom of Speech and I'm just going to keep on asking
Bein' smart and blonde is almost 2 hard 2 handle!

Have you ever listened to a Rick Springfield song? I think its pretty obvious with the meaning of his lyrics that infidelity has played a big part of his life over the years. Whether it was a one time thing or if it has happened mulitple times, well, thats Rick's business. Personally I don't blame him for not taking Oprah's bait. I know back in 2000 he was arrested after an overblown altercation with his wife in which she threw a jar of olives at his head after she thinks she caught him cheating on the internet. Other than that, like his music, don't ask and make your own sense of the meaning.