An investigation into whether bluesman BB King was murdered or actually died of natural causes this month has now been formally launched in Las Vegas.
That inquest is the result of accusations by two of the music legend’s daughters who insist their famous father was the victim of elder abuse and ultimately poisoned by his longtime manager with help from a personal assistant.
"I believe my father was poisoned and that he was administered foreign substances. I believe my father was murdered," they each told police and reporters on Sunday.
Despite BB King’s enviable longevity, their allegations carry some sway evidently, and thus an autopsy was ordered and performed over the weekend -- something which King representatives assert he’d hoped to avoid.
A homicide motive in his death, which allegedly followed a protracted illness and a sudden downturn in late April, hasn’t been proposed yet. However, the lawyer for King’s estate denounced his deceased client’s children for suggesting something more nefarious befell the blues icon.
"I hope they have a factual basis that they can demonstrate for their defamatory and libelous allegations,” attorney Brent Bryson heatedly warned.
Bryson also added that, "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."
Contributing to doubts about the veracity of murder claims made by the guitar great’s heirs is that both King’s physician and the county coroner previously confirmed he died “peacefully in his sleep” following a series of mild strokes.
Hall-of-Famer bluesman BB King passed away at his home in Sin City on May 14, 2015. Whether by poison or natural causes, the legendary blues performer was 90-years-old at the time of his now-questioned death.
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