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The "Turn the Beat Around" singer spoke for the
first time about the abuse on an episode of "Red Table Talk: The
Estefans" that was released on Facebook Watch on Thursday.
She did not identify the man but said he threatened to kill her
mother if she spoke about the abuse.
"He was family, but not close family. He was in a position of
power because my mother had put me in his music school and he
immediately started telling her how talented I was and how I
needed special attention and she felt lucky that he was focusing
this kind of attention on me," said Estefan, now 64.
"I told him, 'This cannot happen, you cannot do this.' He goes:
'Your father’s in Vietnam, your mother's alone and I will kill
her if you tell her,'” the musician added.
Estefan said that when she did eventually tell her mother, she
called the police but they discouraged the family from taking
the matter further because of the trauma Estefan would have to
undergo by testifying.
"That's the one thing that I feel bad about, knowing that there
must have been other victims," the singer said.
Estefan, who was born in Cuba and went to Miami as a young
child, went on to become one the biggest Latin pop stars of the
1980s and 1990s, with hits like "Conga" and "Get On Your Feet."
The Facebook Watch show is hosted by Estefan, her daughter Emily
and niece Lili, and covers personal stories as well as wider
topics.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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