Bob Richardson left his family for a 17-year-old Anjelica Huston when his son was 4 years old, but eventually his untreated schizophrenia destroyed his career, and he has periodically been homeless. Terry Richardson’s mother — who is always, weirdly, referred to in the media as “Terry Richardson’s mother” rather than by her name — was left partially paralyzed by a car accident when Terry was 9. He told the Observer in 2004:
“When she came home, she was in diapers. It was very heavy. By the time I was 11, I was getting high every day on weed-just checking out, basically…I feel like a lot of the women I’ve dated have been the same kind of person. I’ve been through a lot of relationships that were really just girls cheating on me or being quite sadistic. Because of this accident, my mother couldn’t walk, and she was just very ill-tempered all the time-always screaming and yelling and throwing things at me and, like, totally unavailable as a mother.”
Whatever difficulties their relationship suffered during Terry’s childhood and adolescence, they’re now apparently close enough that Richardson photographed his mother topless wearing a one-hitter on a chain around her neck.
Opening the Door On Mom And Dad [ArtInfo]
Mom & Dad [Colette]
Terry Richardson Took Some Photos Of His Mom, Too [Vice]