Engelbert Humperdinck and the Daughter He Left Behind: A Scar That Never Healed
In the glamorous world of show business, some of the most painful stories remain hidden behind the spotlight. Such is the case of legendary singer Engelbert Humperdinck and his little-known daughter, Jennifer Dorsey.
In the late 1970s, Jennifer Dorsey was legally declared Engelbert’s daughter by a New York Family Court after her mother filed a paternity suit. Engelbert was ordered to pay child support, but emotional involvement? That was never enforced.
Despite the legal order, Engelbert never visited his daughter. When Jennifer was 15, she pleaded for the chance to meet him. The court, however, denied her request, ruling that he was not required to have contact with her.
In 1994, at just 17 years old, Jennifer said in an interview:
“I think I might have to pose for Playboy to afford college, because my father won’t pay for it.”
The raw honesty of her statement stunned readers and painted a heartbreaking picture of a daughter left behind while her father’s records sold by the millions.
Engelbert once quipped that he’d had “more paternity suits than suits.” His wife Patricia even joked their house could be wallpapered with court documents. But Engelbert officially recognized only four children from his marriage.
Jennifer never lived with her father. She bore the surname Dorsey, separate from his main family. There’s no public record of reconciliation. To the world, Engelbert remained a star. But to Jennifer, he was simply… absent.