Musical Icon Ray Charles Had 12 Children With 10 Different Women, And They All Fought Over His Fortune After He Passed Away

September 3, 2019

Ray Charles passed away in 2004 at the age of 73. The impressive musician was known by millions of people since the 1950s.

After kicking off his career as a jazz and blues pianist, Ray eventually built a wider career over the years that defied genre. His amazing voice and keyboard skills transcended across pop, country, and R&B.

12 children battle for his fortune

According to reports by the LA Times, Ray Charles called a meeting of all his 12 children in 2002. They arrived with 10 mothers between them and listened as their dad revealed that he was ill.

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Ray wanted to let them know what they could expect when it came to inheritance. A big chunk of his fortune would be left to his charitable foundation, it was revealed, but the children could count on $500,000 in trusts which would be paid out in the proceeding years.

There was some confusion over how much each child would get which eventually resulted in a battle over his wealth after he died.

Legal disputes trailed his legacy and some of his children believed that Ray's managers had mishandled their father's fortune. This meant that in addition to the misunderstanding of his wealth among his children, they also battled their father's foundation as they hoped to win control of the late singer's name and image.

In 2015, it was reported that the foundation won a lawsuit case that prevented the children from seeking any further interest in their father's estate.

White House honor

In 2016, the White House held a special event in order to pay tribute to the late Ray Charles. And according to the WashingtonPost, eight of his children weren't invited and one wasn't able to make it.

The children who were there claimed that most of Ray's kids don't show much interest in participating in such events.

Ray Charles was a legend, no doubt about that. But his family life was very complicated which led to a lot of discontentment and argument which lasted a long while.