Was B.B. King poisoned? It’s a question two of his daughters are raising in the wake of the King of Blues’ death in Las Vegas on May 14. Two heirs of King’s estate, Patty King and Karen Williams, allege that their father didn’t die of natural causes. Instead, they say two of his close aides may have hastened his death in a murder plot. According to AZ Central , homicide detectives are investigating the allegations.
B.B., whose real name is Riley B. King, died just weeks ago at home under hospice care. Reportedly, he suffered from type 2 diabetes and dementia, which was complicated by a series of mini-strokes , according to previous reports by the Inquisitr . Ahead of King’s death, the two daughters made public allegations against Myron Johnson, their father’s personal assistant and LaVerne Toney, his longtime business manager of 39 years. The document was provided to the press by the ladies’ attorney, Larissa Drohobyczer.
“I believe my father was poisoned and that he was administered foreign substances. I believe my father was murdered.”
BB King’s daughters prompt homicide investigation after claiming their father… http://t.co/QlnVT2Uchr #Entertainment pic.twitter.com/cyG1SSbjCq
— #SocialMedia NC (@greensboro_nc) May 25, 2015
Toney, who is an executor of B.B. King’s estate, sidestepped the poisoning allegations lodged against her by the women. She claims the statements against her are nothing new; allegedly, they have been making allegations for some time now.
BB King’s daughters are claiming their father was poisoned to death http://t.co/tAdfUzvlet pic.twitter.com/nCtXQUZrlS
— TV Guide (@TVGuide) May 25, 2015
In the affidavit, Patty, who lived with King in the past, said on several occasions she witnessed Johnson giving her dad some unknown liquid substance under his tongue during evening hours. When she asked her about the name of the drops, she wasn’t forthcoming. This went on for several months. The behavior led her to believe B.B. King was poisoned to speed up the ailing singer’s death.
Johnson was with King at his Vegas home when he passed away. The daughters contend that they were kept away from B.B. before he died, Drohobycze said.
“The family is sticking together… to oust Ms. Toney based on her illegal conduct, conflicts of interest and self-dealing.”
The attorney also said her clients believe Toney hastened King’s death by “misconduct, or by failing to properly attend to his medical needs.”
Regarding the allegations B.B. King was poisoned by his personal aides, Brent Bryson, attorney for the King estate, dismissed the accusations as fodder.
“I hope they have a factual basis that they can demonstrate for their defamatory and libelous allegations. This is extremely disrespectful to B.B. King. He did not want invasive medical procedures. He made the decision to return home for hospice care instead of staying in a hospital. These unfounded allegations have caused Mr. King to undergo an autopsy, which is exactly what he didn’t want.”
Reportedly, at least three physicians agreed that King received appropriate care before he died. Bryson told reporters that the Blues legend was under round-the-clock care and was receiving monitoring “up until the time that he peacefully passed away in his sleep.”
Meanwhile, Clark County authorities have apparently opened up a death probe, according to Lt. Ray Steiber, who did not elaborate if there is suspected foul play or if their actions are part of a routine investigation. Additionally, an autopsy was performed after B.B. King died. Toxicology results which would confirm or rule out a poisoning may take weeks.
[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]
