As a boy, Leibel lived with his mother, Eleanor Leibel, while his older brother Cody stayed with their father. Eleanor Leibel came into her marriage with Lorne Leibel, Blake and Cody’s father, with money of her own. For more than a decade in L.A., Leibel travelled in a pack with his Toronto friends. He would send Leibel illustrations, and Leibel would respond with personal cheques for US$250 a page — a medium rate by industry standards. “He intimidated his employees and his suppliers.”Chitel separated from his wife, Leona Chitel — Eleanor’s mother and Leibel’s grandmother — long before Leibel was born.

Source: National Post June 04, 2016 02:26 UTC