'Everything he is, he owes to me': Elon Musk's father denies bullying him as child

Elon Musk's father, Errol Musk, has rebutted allegations in his son's latest biography that portrayed him as an abusive figure responsible for his son's challengingchildhood in South Africa.

Errol, aged 77, has had a largely distant relationship with Elon, and a recentbiography claimed he inflicted lasting damage through his parenting style.

However, in a recent interview, Errol refuted these claims while acknowledging that Elon's upbringing was anything but typical, recounting an incident when he took his son to a party with nude adults when Elon was just nine years old.

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"The crowd I was with were very open minded, very free thinking — a wonderful crowd to be with," Errol told the Daily Mail. "I’d go from the office and Elon would be in his school uniform. At this one party, a well-known man threw towels at everybody after the meal and said, 'Off with your clothes. We’re getting in the pool.' I had to take Elon to the library and said, 'Just sit there'."

"Within a few minutes everyone was stark naked. It was weird being with a rather elegant socialite who was saying, 'You can go out with me next Saturday if you want'."

'Everything he is, he owes to me,'says Elon Musk's father

The senior Musk slammed his son's latest biography's description of his fatherhood.

"Everything he is, he owes to me," he said. "I say that with humility. I did my best. That book is not the truth. It’s fodder for a play. I emailed the author and told him that."

Errol, a father of eight, which includes a child he had with his step-daughter, left Elon feeling "unsettled," as documented in Walter Isaacson's biography.

In his latest interview, Errol further disapproved of certain choices made by Elon, such as the unconventional name "X Æ A-12" given to one of his children with the Canadian singer-songwriter Grimes.

"X is a weird name for a child, completely weird," Errol said. "I think that Grimes girl is weird, too. The last I heard she was living with a woman, then she’s back with him, then she’s gone again. Now Elon’s on his own. He wants a woman who’s got brains and beauty."

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