As James Packer eyes a merger with Wynn, we revisit his tell-all interview: His reputation shredded, at war with Mariah Carey and crushed by debt, James Packer reveals how his gilded life unravelled
had taken it upon himself to drive his sick friend – who had more than 60 times his wealth – to the clinic. Beatty looks slightly taken aback when I ask him why he undertook such an act of generosity. He responds with just four words: “He is a friend,” he almost whispers, slowly, before repeating himself. “He is a friend.”sat frozen in Beatty’s luxury Lexus as it hurtled down Mulholland Drive. When he arrived at the psychiatrist’s office, it was the only one emanating from his lips.
“I probably said a bottle of vodka a day, but I think it was more than that,” Packer recalls. “I was still relatively lean at that point. So vodka was my alcohol when I was leaner.” The doctor urged Packer to cut back on his alcohol intake, and he reluctantly pledged to have no more than five vodka nips a day.
The shock tactics had no effect. The next day Packer again drank himself into oblivion. It prompted his staff, led by his devoted butler at Beatty’s guesthouse, Nat, to try another tack. This time they succeeded in getting Packer to visit Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in LA. There Davis introduced his boss to a new doctor, a non-psychiatric specialist, who took a series of blood tests.
In Beatty’s guesthouse on top of Hollywood on Mulholland Drive, Packer felt trapped. There was no garden to walk in, just a small balcony and a long concrete driveway that led to the front entrance of the guesthouse. There was no escape. Jalland and Tilley were deeply worried that things had suddenly become far too intense in Los Angeles. They quickly agreed that only the billionaire’s secluded Argentinian polo ranch could provide solace.
For days, Packer barely moved from a line between his bedroom and the couch, often simply staring at the giant television screen on the wall. And for a time he kept drinking: morning, noon and night. Through the fog of alcohol, cigarette smoke and prescription medication, Packer tried to take stock of the horrors of the previous weeks and months. Again he sought psychiatric help and was prescribed new drugs he says were “very bad for weight gain.
By early 2017, Alexander had taken two jobs in one at Crown, replacing both chairman Robert Rankin and chief executive Rowen Craigie. In December 2016 the board had voted to abandon its plan to split the company, instead selling down its casinos investment in Macau, worth more than $1.6 billion. It was a decision supported by Packer and CPH. By the time Crown sold the rest of its Macau stake in May 2017, it had made six times its original investment.
Packer with, from left, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Brett Ratner in Macau. Picture: Jonathan Ng
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
James Packer's Crown in takeover talks with Wynn ResortsThe James Packer-backed Crown Resorts has announced it is in confidential discussions regarding a potential takeover by the Las Vegas-based casino giant Wynn Resorts.
Read more »
James Packer's Crown in takeover talks with Wynn ResortsAustralia's largest casino operator, the $8 billion CrownResorts, is in confidential discussions regarding a potential takeover by the Las Vegas-based casino giant Wynn Resorts
Read more »
Court hears Senator Brian Burston and wife live 'in fear' of James AshbyThe question of jurisdiction has stalled Senator Brian Burston's application for AVO against James Ashby
Read more »
James Weir recaps Married At First Sight episode 39Married At First Sight’s arrogant husband has served his wife a crap sandwich during their vow renewal ceremony and recited a detailed list of gripes before surprising us all by trapping her in the union.
Read more »
'Get your body right': Brisbane Broncos captain Darius Boyd's advice for injured James RobertsBroncos captain Darius Boyd has encouraged star centre James Roberts to be diligent with his rehab on an injured Achilles that has proved to be a ticking time bomb.
Read more »
Budget a win for small business: ACCI’s James Pearson | Sky News AustraliaJames Pearson, CEO of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says the instant asset write-off expansion in the 2019 federal budget is good news for small business. \n\nThe threshold has been increased from $25,000 to $30,000 per claimable asset, and eligibility has expanded to include businesses with a turnover of less than $50 million. \n\nMr Pearson emphasises that multiple assets of up to $30,000 in value can be claimed, adding that business owners should take advantage of it for equipment upgrades, technology and to increase their ability to compete in the market. \n\n\n
Read more »
NBA’s emphatic G.O.A.T declarationMichael Jordan and not LeBron James is the greatest player of all time, according to a survey of NBA players published by The Athletic.
Read more »
'His room was on fire': Hundreds of students flee blaze at Townsville collegeAuthorities are working to accommodate hundreds of students, who were forced to flee when fire broke out at a residential college at James Cook University early this morning.
Read more »
Former ski coach pleads guilty to violent Jindabyne sex attackMatthew James Williams attacked a woman and bashed her male friend unconscious as they walked home from a pub.
Read more »
Police officer claims he was 'in grave danger' when he tasered driverA Perth police officer claims he feared for his life and 'ran out of options' when he tasered a driver during a routine traffic stop in Fremantle.
Read more »