The estate of James Brown has been closed
- 5 days ago
- 1 min read
After a 15-year legal battle, the $90 million estate of famed singer James Brown was closed in 2021, but few in the general public knew it until this notice.
This legal action makes the heirs of James Brown the richest Black family in South Carolina, based on the size of the estate.
According to legal documents, the estate includes music rights, name, likeness, and real estate. The entire estate was sold to Primary Wave Music, owned and led by Larry Mestel.
The estate’s assets were transferred to fund a charitable trust, as originally planned in his will. Justia Law’s court documentation.
After an estate is closed, funds are transferred to a fiduciary, and all creditors, taxes, and legal fees are paid; the balance is transferred to the beneficiaries of the will.
Through other collaborations, Mestel also owns the catalogs of former icons, including Whitney Houston, Bob Marley, Ray Charles, and Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.
The James Brown 2000 Irrevocable Trust was designed to fund education for needy children in South Carolina and Georgia, as outlined in Justia’s Law’s court documentation.
The sale included intellectual property, music rights, and the Beech Island mansion.
