B.B. King’s family have lost a legal bid to wrestle control of his finances from manager Laverne Toney.
The 89-year-old blues icon’s business manager will retain power of attorney over his affairs after a Las Vegas judge ruled against the family’s request to revoke Toney’s guardianship.
The Associated Press reports that police and social services found no evidence of elder abuse and the judge said he couldn’t appoint King’s daughter Karen Williams as his guardian.
Williams claimed that more than $5 million in assets was at stake and that more than $1m had gone missing. She also claimed Toney would not allow visits from King’s friends – including Willie Nelson, Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy.
Another of King’s daughters, Shirley King, tells the AP: “I’m not too sure things are right. But my dad would never want this. I’m crying about what people are doing. I’m afraid it might get ugly. This is disrespect to him.”
King cancelled a number of tour dates in 2014 due to dehydration and exhaustion. Earlier this month, he suffered a minor heart attack just weeks after being hospitalised for an illness related to his type 2 diabetes.
