The great loves of Michael Hutchence's life, including the romance that left Kylie Minogue 'devastated'

When Michael Hutchence died in tragic circumstances on November 22, 1997, he left behind a heartbroken partner, Paula Yates, only child Tiger Lily, a grieving family and bandmates, and millions of devastated fans.The INXS frontman also left behind a long list of former loves, including '90s supermodel Helen Christensen and Aussie singer and actress Kylie Minogue.Almost 30 years after his death, Minogue has spoken candidly about her relationship with Hutchence as part of a new Netflix series about her life, Kylie, calling him "my person".Read on to learn more about their relationship and the other loves of Hutchence's life.Kylie MinogueThe two reportedly first met in 1987 when Hutchence approached her table at the Countdown Music Awards and announced he wanted to sleep with her.The next time they met, he invited Minogue and her then-boyfriend Jason Donovan to an INXS after party.Minogue told A Current Affair (ACA) in 2014 that Hutchence asked "to kiss [her] numerous times" during the night, but she said 'no'.Donovan told the documentary it was clear that night Hutchence had designs on his then-girlfriend, but it was only after she and Donovan broke up that the two became an item in late 1989."He was a dark bad boy and I was the pure good girl."At the time, she was 20 while Hutchence was 29. They made their red carpet debut at the premiere of Minogue's film, The Delinquents, in December 1989, with the singer showing up sporting a short blonde wig.Minogue was also by his side when he celebrated his 30th birthday with a party on January 22, 1990.But the relationship soon raised eyebrows, especially after Hutchence quipped his favourite pastime was "corrupting Kylie".For her part, Minogue told Mystify: Michael Hutchence, "He had insatiable curiosity, all the good things in life and some bad."He opened up a whole new world for me. A lot of it was based around pleasure ... sex, love, food, drugs, music, travel, books, you name it, he wanted to experience it."He was a dark bad boy and I was the pure good girl."The relationship lasted just over two years before Hutchence broke it off in 1992.Minogue told Nine's A Current Affair in 2014, "He broke my heart. I have to confess that the hurt stayed for quite a long time".Now, Minogue has opened up about their romance and break-up in her new docuseries, revealing their many 'firsts'."He was the first in so many ways. And of those firsts was heartbreak. I was devastated," she said.Despite their break up, she was among mourners at his funeral, where she recalled a strange moment."This is going to sound totally crazy, but I felt him going, 'It will be OK,'" she said. "I always feel he is with me, which is kind of crazy."Minogue became emotional when speaking about Hutchence, and while she admitted the "emotion and the memor­ies I have with him... might seem dis­pro­por­tion­ate" to some, it was a testament to the bond they shared."I just felt protected and nurtured and valued and believed in," she said.Minogue later learned from people in Hutchence's circle that he too would reminisce about their time together.She also said their romance had left her yearning for a similar love, decades on."You go on and live your lives, but it was definitely an amazing point in time and I've probably been looking for something like that ever since and I haven't got it," she said.Michele BennettBefore meeting and falling in love with Minogue, Hutchence had a long romance with another Aussie beauty, Michele Bennett.In fact, it was their relationship that inspired the lyrics of one of INXS's most loved songs, Never Tear Us Apart, which was voted the winner of Triple J's Hottest 100 of Australian Songs in 2025.Around the time the band released their second album Underneath the Colours, Hutchence met his first love. Reports suggest they met after Bennett attended one of INXS's early shows.Actress Jane Harber, who played Bennett in the 2014 miniseries Never Tear Us Apart: The Untold Story of INXS, told TV Tonight she was a touchstone in the rock star's life."They met at a gig... kind of before he found his groove," she said."He was just starting out and she obviously loved his music, having been to a couple of his gigs. They fell in love quickly."For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.By 1982, the then part-time model and photographic assistant made a brief appearance in the banquet scenes of the music video for the INXS song The One Thing.She introduced Hutchence to filmmaker Richard Lowenstein, who would go on to direct 15 INXS music videos. He also cast the singer in his cult 1986 film, Dogs in Space, in which he starred as drug-addicted band member.The couple remained together for five years, living together for much of that time in a terrace home in Sydney's Paddington, which they shared with singer Jenny Morrison, before breaking up around 1987.Harber told TV Tonight, "I don't think Michele was wanting to put up with that kind of lifestyle. She wanted him to be successful, but didn't want to be in that 'rock star' scene with the drugs, women and travel."Despite their break-up, the two remained close. It was this bond that inspired Hutchence's lyrics when he and Farris began working on their 1987 power ballad Never Tear Us Apart.The former couple worked together for the next decade, with Bennett producing music videos for three INXS songs released in 1990, including Suicide Blonde, By My Side and Bitter Tears.She would later become a sought-after music video producer for artists including U2, Prince, Silverchair and Foo Fighters and produced hit films such as Chopper.Bennett was the last person to speak to the INXS frontman before his death.She told the 2019 documentary Mystify: Michael Hutchence the singer phoned her twice on the morning he died.The first call went to an answering machine. After answering a second call and hearing he was upset, she agreed to go to his Sydney hotel room but he did not answer the door, so she left a note at hotel reception.Bennett has never spoken about their relationship but others, including Hutchence's sister Tina and Lowenstein, said they believed the two would always end up married.Rosanna CrashAfter Bennett, Hutchence started a secret relationship with US model Rosanna Crash.The relationship began in 1987, and lasted about a year, but only came to light publicly in the 2017 documentary Michael Hutchence: The Last Rockstar. She was by his side during the INXS Kick tour of the US.Hutchence's sister Tina wrote on Facebook in 2020, "Rosanna gave Michael the companionship he sorely needed and the support he wanted without a second thought."The couple took small forays into the real world, away from the interviews, sound checks, performances and the air-conditioned artifice of hotel life. "They ate macrobiotic food and practised tai chi and yoga in their daily routines, even with the tour's rigorous demands."Tina described Crash as a "very private person" who had declined interview requests, adding, "However, I wrote of their relationship in Michael My Brother, Lost Boy of INXS. We are friends to this day."Hutchence reportedly broke up with Crash over the phone after he fell for soap actress and pop princess Kylie Minogue.Helena ChristensenAfter Minogue, Hutchence had a brief relationship with US singer Belinda Carlisle before becoming involved with Danish supermodel Helena Christensen.There are varying reports of how and when the first two met but by 1991, they were in a relationship.In the documentary, Mystify: Michael Hutchence, Christensen described Hutchence as her "perfect match" and said the relationship, which lasted for four years, was "joyful, sweet, deep and emotional"."[It was] total mental and physical chemistry," she said.But Christensen also revealed in the documentary then-unknown details about a health crisis Hutchence suffered during their relationship.The couple were on the streets of Copenhagen when the star was assaulted by a taxi driver, causing him to fall and hit his head on concrete."He was unconscious and there was blood coming out of his mouth and ear," she said, "I thought he was dead."Hutchence was rushed to hospital and treated for a serious head injury, which left him with no sense of taste or smell, but she said he awoke a "dark and very angry" man.Tina Hutchence later publicly criticised Christensen for keeping the secret from his family even in the decades after his death.In the documentary, Mystify: Michael Hutchence, filmmaker Richard Lowenstein alleged the brain damage the rock star suffered in the attack could have led him to take his own life years later.Hutchence broke up with the model in 1995. By then, he had already begun an affair with British TV presenter Paula Yates, the wife of Sir Bob Geldof.Paul YatesHutchence and Yates first met a decade earlier when she interviewed him for the TV show The Tube.She was reportedly so taken by the INXS star, she started turning up at concerts.It is not known how and when their affair began, but it came to light during a second flirty interview with the singer in October 1994 for the TV show The Big Breakfast.The affair was exposed by British tabloids and Yates split from Geldof, but his popularity and nickname "Saint Bob" – taken from his organisation of the Band Aid and Live Aid charity events – saw Hutchence and Yates maligned by the press and public.Yates and Geldof's separation in February 1995 and subsequent divorce the following year resulted in a bitter custody dispute that continued until Hutchence's death.On July 22, 1996, Yates gave birth to the couple's only child, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily.Hutchence was in Australia in November 1997 to start preparations for INXS's 20th anniversary tour when Yates told him a custody hearing relating to the three children she shared with Geldof had been adjourned until December 17 and she would not be able to bring them to Australia as planned.This left him to face a long separation from Yates and Tiger Lily.Hutchence then called Geldof to plead for him to reconsider.Geldof later confirmed he received a call from Hutchence. It was some time after this that he made the first of two calls to his former girlfriend Bennett.A hotel maid found the singer's body later that day. His death was ruled a suicide. He was 37.It was later revealed another former girlfriend, Aussie actress Kym Wilson, had visited Hutchence in his hotel room, along with her then-boyfriend, the previous evening and was the last person to see him alive.Tiger Lily was just 16 months old at the time of her father's death, and appeared at his funeral in the arms of her grieving mother, who would die just three years later from a heroin overdose. Orphaned at four, she was later adopted by Geldof so she could be raised with her siblings.Only one INXS song was played at Hutchence's funeral as his coffin left the church; Never Tear Us Apart. A fitting end to the life of a rock star.If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. 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