Ray Charles' Children Revolt against Longtime Manager

By Jane Ivory
12:21, April 21st 2008
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Ray Charles' Children Revolt against Longtime Manager

Several of Ray Charles’ children called Sunday for an investigation into their late father’s longtime manager, who they say is not exactly following the legendary singer’s wishes.

Several of Ray Charles’ 12 children spoke out Sunday against Joe Adams, longtime manager of their father, saying he released two posthumous CDs Charles would have never approved and that he holds too much power over his estate, reports the Los Angeles Times.

There are “many unanswered questions,” Lisa Nkonoki, a spokeswoman for family members, told the paper, referring to the way Adams is managing the late musician’s estate, including a charitable foundation he set up, the Ray Charles Foundation, and a profit-making company that manages rights to his music, Ray Charles Enterprises.

“Before my father passed away he did not intend for his estate to be solely controlled by Joe Adams,” Ray Charles Jr. Robinson, the performer’s eldest son, said Sunday. He and his siblings allege Adams, 86, is withholding financial records and other documents from the family and excluding them from business dealings, among other things.

They are seeking a formal investigation and audit looking into their father’s estate, trusts and foundation for possible wrongdoing. They have complained to the California attorney general, the Los Angeles County prosecutor’s office and the FBI.

Among the possible wrongdoings Nkonoki said the family wishes to be investigated are whether the estate had disposed of any recording master tapes, and whether any estate documents ostensibly signed by Charles were actually signed by Adams in Charles’ name (which has happened on at least one occasion acknowledged by the manager).

Nkonoki told the Times that Adams had refused to give the family “any accountings of any type,” including “bank statements, interest payments, reported tax payments and/or updates as required and requested to the heirs.”

Charles placed $500,000 in trusts for each of the children to be paid out over the next five years, the paper said, and he also hinted that there would be more for them “down the line.” Some of the children said they understood from this that they would inherit the right to license his name and likeness for profit.

The value of Charles’s original masters is estimated at about $25 million, in addition to $50 million in other assets, the Times added, and some of Charles’ family members suspect Adams has sold masters or is in their possession.

Several of Charles’ children have sued his former manager and people associated with Ray Charles Enterprises and his foundation.

Adams declined to comment for the Times.

Charles died of cancer at the age of 73 in Beverly Hills on June 10, 2004.



Image Credit: www.raycharles.com
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