His descendants are still battling for their portion of his inheritance, but he failed to leave a testament behind when the rapper unexpectedly died in 2004 at the age of 35.
“He was youthful,” ODB’s former manager Jarred Weisfeld informed The Post. “You cannot direct someone who is 35 years old to produce a testament.”
In February of 2020, Ashana’s mother, Krishana Rucker, received a settlement of $500,000 for outstanding child support dating back to the time of his death.
Rucker informed The Post, “Presently, I must officially confirm that the investigation is concluded.” “Following that, I will provide a payment to my attorney and authorize him to pursue my daughter’s entitlement from Russell’s property.”
I informed The Post, “Thus far, I have not witnessed anything, and my half-siblings haven’t either. Nonetheless, I simply desire to receive the rightful amount. This particular figure can be quite substantial, and currently, I haven’t received a single penny. I am unaware of the exact amount that is due.”
Cheryl McCall and Suzy Wong, two of the other mothers of ODB’s children, were relieved of their positions and attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to challenge Icelene Jones, ODB’s widow and estate administrator, in surrogate court in 2007.
However, it may be possible to change the fact that since ODB’s court challenge, their aggressive moves in making inheritances to lead their offspring have not particularly been successful.
Ashana said, “We need to stop playing games. It’s enough. I feel ignored. If I have to, I will, but I don’t want to. I can avoid going to court, so I hope someone can tell me when I will receive my payment and when everyone will be established. I reached out in the hope of shedding light on the situation about the heirs to the attorney, Greg Watts.”
According to reports, there may be as many as 13 children recognized between the rapper’s estate, and the money would be divided based on how the State of New York decided. It is worth mentioning that ODB did not leave, and Icelene was deemed to receive half of his money in the estate, with the remaining amount split among the rest of his children.
The payment has not been given to them yet.
Did you know that the most disgraceful action you can do? However, she eventually decided to withdraw the lawsuit. We claimed that Russell’s father, who lied about my daughter and I, went as far as filing a frivolous lawsuit against us in the state of California. She tried to cut off any inheritance from Russell’s children, alleging that Rucker, the rapper she claimed to have married, was never married to “Icelene”.
Rucker claimed to The Post that “Icelene … Has not provided us with a financial report of the estate’s funds.”
Icelene made the decision to refrain from providing a comment, with the assistance of her attorney Gregory S. Watts. “There have been no legal filings asserting … Those statements,” he informed The Post.
I know that he had three children — his wife and I. There were never any birth certificates signed or blood tests taken. Nothing else was ever proven. He only has a record of three children, as The Post reported in 2004, 13 years before he married Icelene, who was married to ODB.
As per Rucker, ODB adored his seven children.
Rucker stated, “He brought all seven infants to their grandmother’s house and contributed to raising all the children. He was an exceptional dad. He looked after her from the moment my daughter took her initial breath until he drew his final one.”
However, that had no effect on improving Rucker’s relationship with Icelene. “A few months [following ODB’s funeral],” stated Rucker, “I received a phone call from [Icelene’s] then lawyer. His words deeply affected me. He was unpleasant. He declared, ‘She is his spouse, [you] have no authority, and she will inherit everything.’ I replied, ‘Isn’t that after all the outstanding debts are paid?’ He replied, ‘There are no outstanding debts.’ I informed him that Russell has a child-support payment. I was granted $1,719 per month. We battled since 2004 and [the estate] eventually reached a settlement with me.”
However, Rucker believes that there is more: “Nobody would simply hand over $500,000 unless they possess a substantial amount of wealth.”
The estate administrator Icelene filed a lawsuit in February against Wu-Tang Productions, claiming that the estate is owed royalties from ODB’s image and copyrights, resulting in damages of $1 million. Furthermore, in addition to the aforementioned lawsuit, the estate also received top payments in 2020 and 2019. Additionally, the estate received a payment of $130,000 from Wu-Tang Productions in 2021, which was made as certain “payments”.
“The assets are liquid. You must consider … Obligations and responsibilities,” Watts, legal representative for the assets, exclusively informed The Post, regarding the current value of the rapper’s estate.
Weisfeld expressed, “Just for that reason, he deserved a salary in the six-figure range.” “This would have been achieved through the earnings from songs, documentaries, and the inclusion of his song in the opening credits of ‘Knocked Up.'” “I am completely confident that the estate has produced a revenue in the seven-figure range since his passing.”
As stated by Watts, the funds are on their way — albeit at a gradual pace.
He stated that the estate has the potential to receive distributions. Once we have collected it, they will receive distributions periodically. For instance, if the estate receives $1 million, then they will receive distribution after deducting expenses. This is distinct from Icelene’s claim that Wu-Tang owes the estate. “His wife, along with other marketing executives, were able to promote his image and music and generate funds for the estate.” Russell Jones passed away and there was no inheritance. “There was no money in the estate when it was initially established. Ashana and those who have been identified as heirs are beneficiaries of the estate.”
Lawyer Watts asserts that Rucker’s child-support claim has taken precedence, resulting in no beneficiaries receiving payment.
The Post informed Watts, “We were compelled to take that action.” She insisted on being compensated upfront. Even Ashana’s mother, who is her own daughter, was against dividing the $500,000 among the beneficiaries. It was possible for us to allocate funds to the heirs.
In order to obtain what they deserve, the subsequent course of action for Ashana and the remaining siblings is now… Initiating the child maintenance procedure was the initial stage because I refused to withdraw the legal action pertaining to child support, and everyone criticized me for being self-centered and solely concerned about my own interests, stated Rucker.
Dirty would be upset beyond by what is going on. If he could see this, he got out of jail. He wanted a record contract, a clothing line, and a divorce. I got him out before three.