Tom Cruise 'didn't attend his stepfather's funeral'

The Oscar-nominated star - whose stepfather John South was married to his mother Mary Lee Pfeiffer for 32 years - opted against attending the funeral earlier this month and nor did he visit him in hospital after John was diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Speaking before his death, John was asked whether Tom, 53, had visited him since his health had deteriorated, to which he replied: "No. It's been a while. I'd rather not go into that because I take care of myself the best I can."

Despite this, John - who also has children from a previous marriage - tried to defend the Hollywood star by insisting he was unlikely to have been aware of his declining health.

He told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "I don't want to bother him with it. I'm more concerned by my immediate family."

By contrast, Tom described John as a "wise" and "smart man" in an interview in the mid 1980s.

The 'Mission: Impossible' actor shared: "In the beginning, I felt threatened by my stepfather. There's a part of you that's in love with your mother. But John is such a wise, smart man. He loved my mother so much that he took us all in, four young people."