What happened to Mike Phelps father, is he deceased?

Question

Has anyone noticed one key member of his family missing in Beijing. I wonder if that is where he got some of his talent from.

Answer 1

his mom and dad are divorced. michael phelps isnt really in good relations with his father and rarely speaks to him, and he didnt come to see his son become the greatest olympian ever.

Answer 2

I'm not sure, but this question doesn't belong in boxing.  Plus an internet search would likely yield more results.

Answer 3

He is alive and well.  I have heard some people call him Digger?

Answer 4

His father is not deceased, he divorced his mother sometime in Mike's youth and wasn't a big part of his life. The rest of this is a quote from a site I found in my internet search.

"This is just about Michael," he said. "This is his glory, his time to shine, and I want him to get everything he wants."

Rest assured, while Phelps is in the Beijing pool, his father is paying close attention, cheering from back in Maryland.

"I'm just on pins and needles every time he hits the water," Fred Phelps said.