Eddie Murphy concedes paternity
2007-08-04 12:53
Los Angeles - Actor-comedian Eddie
Murphy publicly acknowledged on Friday having fathered a child
out of wedlock with Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown, who
brought a paternity suit against him earlier this week.
A brief statement issued by Murphy's publicist said the
46-year-old star ofDreamgirls and the Beverly Hills Cop
movies "always has and will continue to honour his
responsibilities as a father."
"Mr Murphy and Ms Brown dated very briefly and never made
any plans of ANY sort," the statement said. "He acknowledges
paternity of the child Angel, and has paid child support to Ms
Brown as well as covering the expenses of her pregnancy."
The statement concluded by saying Murphy "views this as a
private matter, and as such, will not be making any further
comments about it."
Murphy had never publicly acknowledged paternity before.
Brown filed suit against Murphy in Los Angeles Superior
Court on Wednesday, seeking to legally establish his paternity
and seeking unspecified child support for the 3-month-old
girl.
A DNA test in June confirmed that Murphy is the father of
Brown's baby, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, who was born in April.
The couple dated last year and Brown, 32, known as Scary Spice
as a member of the British pop phenomenon, listed Murphy as the
father on the child's birth certificate.
Celebrity magazines reported this week that Murphy had
become engaged to his girlfriend of 10 months, Tracey Edmonds.
Murphy has five children from his first marriage to Nicole
Mitchell, which ended in divorce in April 2006.
The Spice Girls announced in June they would be reuniting
for a world tour starting in December.