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Tori Spelling Comes From Big Money! Meet Her Family: Late Father Aaron, Mother Candy and Brother Randy
Tori Spelling grew up in one of the most famous families in Hollywood as the eldest child of late legendary TV producer Aaron Spelling. Aaron was married to Candy Spelling, and they also welcomed Tori’s brother, Randy, during their marriage. While the Spellings became synonymous with some of the most iconic TV shows of the 80s and 90s, their family life at home sparked rumors of a feud between Tori and her mom, Candy. It made headlines again in 2023 as Tori publicly struggled financially amid her split from estranged husband Dean McDermott. Now fans are wondering more about Tori and what her relationship is like with her famous family.
Who Was Tori Spelling’s Dad Aaron Spelling?
Aaron was the executive producer behind some of TV’s biggest hits from the 1970s through the 1990s. His programs included such iconic shows as Charlie’s Angels, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Hart to Hart, Dynasty, T.J Hooker, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Charmed and 7th Heaven.
The TV mogul was born in Dallas, Texas, on April 22, 1923, the youngest of five children. Aaron graduated from the city’s Southern Methodist University and moved to Hollywood. He initially started out as an actor, appearing in episodes of I Love Lucy, Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Gunsmoke. Aaron later pursued writing and honed his craft by producing the ABC detective series Burke’s Law, which ran from 1963 to 1966.
Aaron died on June 23, 2006, at the age of 83, five days after suffering complications a stroke, as well as a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He passed away at his longtime home known as The Manor in the exclusive Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. The 56,500-square-foot mansion is the second largest home in Los Angeles, featuring 123 rooms. Aaron had it specially constructed in 1988. Five years after his death, Candy sold it to Formula One heiress, Petra Ecclestone, for $85 million.
Who Is Tori Spelling’s Mom Candy Spelling?
Candy grew up Carole Gene Marer in Beverly Hills and attended Beverly Hills High School. She married Aaron on November 23, 1968, and the couple went on to have two children, Victoria “Tori” Davey Spelling in 1973 and son Randall “Randy” Gene Spelling in 1978.
After Aaron’s death, Candy released her autobiography, Stories from Candyland, in March 2009. Her decision to sell The Manor was documented in a 2012 HGTV two part special, Selling Spelling Manor. Candy followed it up with 2013’s Beyond Spelling Manor, which featured the construction of her new $47 million penthouse condominium in a nearby Century City high-rise.
Candy became a successful Broadway producer following her husband’s death. Her first coproduction, Promises, Promises, debuted in 2010 and snagged four Tony Awards nominations. She also produced the revival How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Who Is Tori Spelling’s Brother Randy Spelling?
Randy initially tried his hand at acting, appearing on an episode of his sister’s Fox hit Beverly Hills, 90210, which was produced by dad Aaron. In 1996, he played Flipper Gage on the teen drama Malibu Shores, which was also produced by his dad. Tori’s younger brother tried his hand at reality TV in the 2007 A&E series Sons of Hollywood, also starring Rod Stewart‘s son Sean Stewart and other progeny of famous stars
After Aaron’s death, Randy ended up in rehab following a downward spiral. “I was just trying to fill myself in any way I could and started filling myself with the wrong things and got caught up in addiction,” he explained in a 2021 interview with Page Six, adding, “So I went to rehab and after I thought, ‘Gosh, I have this second chance, who do I want to be? What makes me happy? What am I here for?’ And all these existential questions that I really set out on a path to answer.”
Randy is married with two daughters. He has worked as a life coach since 2008 while living in Portland, Oregon. “It was just, ‘Hey this sounds really interesting,’ so I did it and it was suggested I work with people, and I started doing that and I realized, ‘I think I’m good at it,’ and it just propelled me to do more,” he explained about his profession.
Are Tori and Her Mom Candy Estranged?
The two have had a strained relationship ever since Tori was a child. “I was very much a daddy’s girl. As an adult, I can go back and look at the relationship and see that he kind of always positioned her, as, like, he was good cop, and she was bad cop,” the True Tori star said about her childhood in 2014, adding, “And he kind of created a little bit of that dynamic. It wasn’t just all her.”
Candy blamed Tori for causing her dad’s death after she became estranged from her family when the sTORI Telling author divorced husband Charlie Shanian to elope with Canadian actor Dean in May 2006. Aaron died six weeks later.
“My daughter one day decided that she wasn’t speaking to my husband, myself and my son, and that’s how it’s continued for the last, oh gosh, four or five years,” Candy told 94.7 WMAS-FM in 2009. “And it was sad. That’s what killed my husband, actually. He just didn’t want to live after that.”
After Candy’s revelation that they were no longer in contact, Tori revealed to People in April 2009, “I love my mother, I’ve always loved her and no doubt she loves me. There’s no feud. We simply never meshed. It’s not like we’re not talking. We just haven’t talked.”
The pair eventually grew closer in 2009 despite their drama, as Dean revealed to People, Tori and her mom “have been in communications.” Dean added, “Candy has seen the kids, which is what this is all about.” At the time, Tori and Dean had two children, son Liam and daughter Stella. They later added three more kids to their brood, daughter Hattie and sons Finn, and Beau.
As of 2019, the Love and First Lie star and her mom were on good terms. “It’s good, really good right now,” Tori said of her relationship with her mother during a Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen appearance.
Is Candy Spelling Helping Tori Spelling Financially?
Candy came under fire from fans for allegedly not helping Tori out financially in 2023 when she fell on hard times. Dean posted then deleted a June 17 Instagram post stating he and Tori were splitting after 18 years of marriage, saying the duo “decided to go our separate ways.”
In July, Tori moved into a Hollywood motel with their five kids after claiming their home became infected with mold. She was later photographed living out of an RV with her children in a Ventura County, California, campground.
“The feeling is Tori got herself into this situation. She should get herself out,” an insider told In Touch exclusively about Candy’s attitude toward her daughter’s crisis, while adding that she helps pay for her grandchildren’s school tuition and clothing.
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