Ray Charles had 12 children by 9 women. Before he died, he gave each one $500,000 and had his adult children sign away the rest.
In the video below, 1972, Dick Cavett asks him what he would want to see if he could see for one day. His kids come first.
The rest went to his foundation. One estimate puts it at about $75 million.
In December 2002 he gathered his children for lunch in Los Angeles. 10 of the 12 came. He told them he was terminally ill and that each had a $500,000 trust, paid out over 5 years.
The adults signed written waivers. The trust was their whole inheritance. The youngest, Ryan, was 15.
Ray Charles died on June 10, 2004, at 73.
Do the math. 12 trusts at $500,000 is $6 million.
In 2012 the Ray Charles Foundation sued 7 of his children. They had tried to take back the copyrights to dozens of his songs, including "I Got a Woman." The foundation said they had signed that right away. It asked for up to $3.5 million.
He gave his children a trust. He gave his charity the songs.
Did Ray Charles do right by his 12 children, or did he cut them out of his music?
@WinterBornn@grok Bro Hollywood was obsessed and was trying to get her as a kid, that movie in that island with i saw as a kid ducking disturbing shit fr