I don't think he had a lot of obstacles, he hated his father, but the other children haven't expressed this publicly. I'm sure it was hard work coming up as a singer and with his brothers, but he did it. He had no financial hardships. I don't think he was proud of his being black, cause he got whiter each year. He didn't overcome anything, he was just rich enough to change it. He did not overcome his depression that caused his drug use, I guess that was the biggest problem, since it took his life.