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Legal fight for the fortune of Celia Cruz
L a Guarachera de Cuba was one of the most popular artists and recognized for their talent in the 20th century, so much so that today their successful songs are heard, sung and danced.
She was born on October 21 in 1925 in Havana, Cuba, and died on July 16 in the United States, New Jersey, after battling cancer that defeated her.
She had a long musical career, 55 years exactly, and although it will be 19 years since her death, her inheritance continues to give something to talk about, since the artist never conceived children, but heirs were still left.
The cost of your fortune
After all her years of career, she managed to consolidate a million dollars, these in addition to her extravagant colored wigs that distinguished her, along with her luxurious suits, expensive jewelry and properties that belonged to her, in addition to a good life insurance.
By the time she was already suffering from cancer, her closest people appeared asking her for money and some goods, assuming that being sick and having no descendants, she would distribute the inheritance while she was alive.
Battle for your inheritance
At the time of her death, the dispute over her inheritance broke out, and this was carried out by her husband, Pedro Knight, who, being her widower, was legally the corresponding one.
However, the sister of the Cuban-American singer, Gladys Becker, scandalously accused the widower and his daughter, Ernestina Moracen-Knight, of scammers and opportunists, for keeping $400,000 that apparently belonged to her.
Luis Falcón was added to all this contest, who almost became the adopted son of the singer, and although it did not materialize, he remained as the executor of his fortune. And after investigations of everything he did with that fortune, it became known that it was he who had scammed Becker.
The distribution of her inheritance became a puzzle, and it was not until 2007 that the New Jersey court intervened, declaring the singer's businessman and musical promoter, Omer Pardillo, as the sole executor, who distributed the inheritance upon receiving it.
With a new executor
Before distributing the assets of the singer Celia Cruz, her current executor, Omer Pardillo, investigated what had been done in all the years with the singer's assets.
As a result of his investigations, it was known that Luis Falcón, the former executor, had only wasted what was left by the queen of salsa, in addition to being accused of being responsible for fraud against Gladys Becker and Ernestina Moracen-Knight, for which he had to pay 2, 5 million dollars each.
In addition to the investigations to bring the truth to light, and distribute it among the relatives of the Guarachera of Cuba, half of the Cruz legacy is in the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington DC.
