Tuesday, May 26, 2015

B.B. King Was Poisoned, Claim Bluesman's Children

A homicide probe into the death of B.B. King will be launched after two of the blues legend's daughters accused his two closest aides, business manager LaVerne Toney and personal assistant Myron Johnson, of poisoning King prior to his May 14th death


Image result for bb king deathIn court documents released to The Associated Press, King's daughters Karen Williams and Patty King said, "I believe my father was poisoned and that he was administered foreign substances. I believe my father was murdered."

Toney did not reply to a request for comment by Rolling Stone.According to Patty King's affidavit, she said she witnessed Toney administer two drops of an unknown substance on B.B. King's tongue at night in the months before his death; Toney never told Patty King what the substance was. B.B. King gave Toney power of attorney years ago, the APwrites, as well as named her executor of his estate, which could be worth tens of millions of dollars.

Nevada officials announced Monday that they would open a homicide investigation, adding that they now had jurisdiction over King's body and conducted an autopsy Sunday, Reuters reports. Results are expected to take six to eight weeks; the fact that King was embalmed and displayed for public viewing shouldn't affect those results, Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg said.

Brent Bryson, an attorney for B.B. King's estate – which now has Toney as executor – did not reply to a request for comment, but denied Karen Williams and Patty King's accusations to the AP, calling them "ridiculous" and "extremely disrespectful." "I hope they have a factual basis that they can demonstrate for their defamatory and libelous allegations," Bryson said. While Toney and Johnson didn't formally comment to the AP, Toney did say, "They've been making allegations all along. What's new?"

Bryson added that three doctors determined that King was being properly cared for in his final weeks while in hospice care, and that King received 24-hour care and monitoring "up until the time that he peacefully passed away in his sleep." In April, King was hospitalized with dehydration related to diabetes.

King had 11 surviving children at the time of his death; the family has hired attorney Larissa Drohobyczer to represent them. Three of those children went to court in Las Vegas earlier this month in a failed attempt to remove Toney's power of attorney over King. One of King's daughters, Shirley King, also told KLAS-TV after her father's death that Toney had cut off the family's access to the blues great.

"Just getting through this day is killing me," Shirley King said. "Why would she not let me see my daddy before he leaves this earth?" Another daughter, Rita King, said when their father was in hospice care, "We love him, and the reason he hasn't seen us is because we're being kept away."

Following a Beale Street procession and memorial scheduled for Wednesday in Memphis, King's funeral will be held May 29th and 30th in King's hometown of Indianola, Mississippi.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/b-b-king-was-poisoned-claims-bluesmans-children-20150526#ixzz3bI4LRJ3e 

50 Cent's Boxing Promotions Company Files for Bankruptcy

50 Cent's boxing promotion company SMS Promotions has filed for bankruptcy, according to a statement the rapper's reps sent to Billboard.

Image result for 50 centSMS Promotions will "continue the operation of its business" and take advantage of the filing to "reorganize in an effort to protect its investment in worldwide boxing."
The statement reads:
"SMS Promotions, LLC, (SMS Promotions) a boxing promotion company owned by Curtis Jackson, a/k/a 50 Cent, today announced that it has filed for relief under chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code. The filing allows the company to reorganize in an effort to protect its investment in worldwide boxing promotion and a promising stable of talented, young fighters.
"SMS Promotions is expected to continue operating under the supervision of the bankruptcy court – in furtherance of its mission to become one of the world’s leading boxing and sports promotion companies. Founded in 2012, SMS Promotions has gained international fame as the promoter of landmark sporting events and superstar fighters such as junior middleweight James Kirkland.

"This filing for bankruptcy protection permits SMS Promotions to continue the operation of its business, while it pursues an orderly reorganization of its affairs,” says Patrick J. Neligan, Jr., partner at Neligan Foley, LLP and counsel for SMS Promotions. “Under the direction of Mr. Jackson, SMS Promotions looks forward to reorganizing as a new corporate entity and becoming one of the leading promotion companies in the world of professional boxing."
According to court documents that TMZ Sports obtained, the company filed for Chapter 11 on Monday in Connecticut. They’re reportedly in $100,000-500,000 worth of debt.
50 Cent launched SMS Promotions at the end of 2012, shortly after him and boxer Floyd Mayweather parted ways from their company, The Money Team. SMS Promotions signed four  fighters including Yuriorkis Gamboa, Andrew Dirrell, Billy Dib and Celestino Caballero.