B.B. King Dead? Facing Elder Abuse? Rumors Circulate After Hospitalization

Early last month, reports broke out that 89-year-old blues guitarist legend B.B. King had been hospitalized. Eventually, it was determined that the famed artist was suffering from dehydration related to his Type 2 Diabetes — an ailment that can easily leave men B.B.’s age dead if not treated properly.

Now B.B.’s daughter, Patty King, has come forward to reveal that there may have been something more sinister going on with her father’s hospitalization: elder abuse at the hands of B.B.’s manager, Laverne Toney, who currently holds power of attorney over the music icon.

Patty claims that she eventually contacted the authorities after battling with Toney about releasing her father to the hospital. King, who shared a home with her father in Las Vegas, became disturbed when B.B.’s urine turned an orange color and he became unresponsive to food, reported TMZ.

This isn’t the first time that King’s daughter has butted heads with Laverne. The claims don’t stop at elder abuse either — Patty officially accused Toney of stealing from B.B. in the past, reported TMZ. However, an official police investigation didn’t yield any evidence.

“Patty and her husband filed a police report last November… claiming elder abuse, and burglary. They accused Toney and her assistant of fleecing $20-$30 million from B.B., withholding his medications while on tour — and jacking several Rolexes and a ring valued at $250k.”

King’s recent hospitalizations also seem to have subconsciously made fans fret over his well-being. When “Stand By Me” singer Ben E. King passed away of a heart attack on Friday, many were quick to confused B.B. with the similar sounding Ben E. As both share the same last name and were contemporaries in the R&B scene, rumors that B.B. King had died also began to circulate.

Not just the average Twitter user fell victim to the B.B. and Ben E. confusion either. Fox News host Greta Van Susteren also made the same mistake before saying that she had confused one King for the other because of her husband being under the effects of medication. Later, she posted about the importance of media sticking to the facts, though she did not confirm if the post was related to her earlier misstep.

I am going to strangle my husband — on his pain meds from open heart surgery he told me bb king died – he said he read it on twitter

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) May 1, 2015

Media needs to remember: go for the facts, report the facts, but don’t stir up trouble

— Greta Van Susteren (@greta) May 1, 2015

Did you momentarily think B.B. King was dead today? What do you think of his daughter’s abuse allegations?

[Image via Win McNamee/Getty Images]