12/29/2023 0 Comments Ray charles jr![]() ![]() Family members contend that Adams' leadership has tarnished the image of the artist, who was known for decades as the "Genius" - a title bestowed on him by Frank Sinatra. In some cases, co-officers appointed by Charles departed their roles while Adams remained. He was head of Ray Charles Enterprises, director of the foundation and trustee of the children's trusts. After Charles' death, Adams ended up with virtually unchallenged power over the estate. ![]() Toward the end of the artist's life, Adams was perceived by Charles' children and others close to him as controlling access to the star. Adams signed on as Charles' manager in 1961. That executive, Joe Adams, is the target of the family's complaints. The foundation, which Charles originally established as the Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders, has come under the scrutiny of the California attorney general's office, which at one point objected to its control by a single executive, without an independent board. "No one is as committed to RC as his family," said Mary Anne Den Bok, an attorney who is the mother of Charles' youngest child, Corey Robinson Den Bok. Charles' children are hoping to win control of the marketing of their father's name and image, and a greater voice in foundation affairs. Professional estimates place the value of Charles' original masters at about $25 million - on top of the $50 million he held in securities, real estate and other assets. At issue are not only money and the family's standing but also the fate of thousands of musical recordings, videotapes and other artifacts produced during Charles' long career. In lawsuits filed against Charles' former manager, several of his children have asserted that their father's legacy has been mishandled by the manager and others associated with Ray Charles Enterprises, which holds the rights to his music, and the Ray Charles Foundation. Born Ray Charles Robinson in rural Georgia in 1930, Charles died at 73 in Beverly Hills on June 10, 2004, after a long battle with cancer. Charles exercised iron control over his music and recordings, but his legacy is in disarray, knotted up in legal disputes between the estate's management and his family members, according to interviews, court documents and correspondence from the California attorney general's office. The confusion and contention that resulted from that family gathering, the only time so many of the children met with their father as a group, helps explain what has happened since. Charles also hinted that there would be more for them "down the line," which some interpreted to mean they would inherit the right to license his name and likeness for profit. Yet Charles' description left so much to the imagination that some of the children came away with the impression that he meant to leave them $1 million each. But $500,000 had been placed in trusts for each of the children to be paid out over the next five years, according to people at the meeting and a trust document. Most of Charles' assets would be left to his charitable foundation. Ten of them, ranging in age from 16 to 50 - with 10 mothers among them - listened as their father told them he was mortally ill and outlined what they could expect from his fortune. Shortly before Christmas 2002, Ray Charles called a meeting of his 12 children at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport. ![]()
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