Ray Charles

The children of late R&B legend RAY CHARLES are fighting to take charge of the singer's recordings and memorabilia after suing the trustees of his estate and claiming mismanagement. In lawsuit targeted mainly at Charles' former manager, Joe Adams, many of Charles' 12 children claim their father's legacy has been mishandled. The children want to take charge of all recordings, property and artifacts relating to their father, as well as marketing decisions and issues relating to the late singer's charity foundations. Adams, who signed on as Charles' manager in 1961, was named head of Ray Charles Enterprises and trustee of the children's trusts following the soul man's death in June, 2004. Mary Anne Den Bok, the mother of Charles' youngest child, Corey, tells the Los Angeles Times newspaper that Adams' actions, and those of other executives of the estate, have, "distorted and trivialized" Charles' legacy. Den Bok, an attorney, has filed the new lawsuit in the name of her son and nine half-brothers and sisters. A spokesman for Adams insists the new allegations against his client are "old" and "baseless".