Inside Billie Holiday’s will – died with cash strapped to leg to less than $1 in bank

Billie Holiday was one of the most lauded singers of the of the 1930s and 40s – making waves with hit tracks like Strange Fruit and Gloomy Sunday.

But with a life marred by drug addiction, sexual abuse and racism in the music industry, Billie tragically died aged just 44 in July 1959.

Earlier that year, she had been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver after relapsing into alcohol addiction despite doctor’s orders. She lost 20 pounds during her last battle to stay sober and was eventually taken to hospital and treated for liver and heart disease.

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Things only got worse from there, as narcotics cops later turned up to her hospital room and handcuffed her to the bed, placing her under police guard as she received methadone treatment.

By July 15, Billie had been read her last rites, and she died two days later of pulmonary edema and heart failure caused by her liver disease.

At the time, she had less than one dollar in her bank account.

Daily Star takes a look inside Billie’s death and will on what would have been her 108th birthday.

Tragic childhood

Lady Day had an incredibly tragic childhood. Born in Philadelphia to an unwed teenage couple, Billie’s mum was evicted from her parents’ home for getting pregnant out of wedlock.

Billie’s father Clarence Halliday abandoned his family to pursue a jazz career, and ended up being raised by distant relatives as her mother worked away.

Aged just nine, Billie was brought before the juvenile court for skipping school and sent to a Catholic reform school before being paroled nine months later.

Tragically, aged just 11, a neighbour attempted to rape Billie though she fought back and had him arrested for the crime.

By age 12, she was working at a brothel before going on to sing in nightclubs and successfully launching her music career.

But segregation laws in the US at the time meant she wasn’t allowed to do things as simple as use the toilet while on tour, or enter venues she was performing at through the front doors.

’Targeted’ by cops

By 1947, Billie was soaring in the jazz world – and made an eye-watering $250,000 in three years – that’s the equivalent of around $3.3million (£2.6million) in today’s money.

But the star was struggling behind the scenes. Though she earned more than $1000 per week from her club appearances, most of her money went on heroin, and in May 1947 she was arrested for possession of narcotics in her New York apartment.

The star was taken to court, with her lawyer refusing to come to the trial to represent her.

She recalled: “In plain English that meant no-one in the world was interested in looking out for me.”

Billie pleaded guilty and begged to be sent to hospital as she was dehydrated and kept throwing up – but she was sentenced to time behind bars at a West Virginia prison camp.

The drug possession conviction also caused Billie to lose her New York City Cabaret Card, which in turn prevented her from working anywhere that served alcohol.

Billie was released from prison in March 1948, but the loss of her cabaret card reduced her earnings – and by the 1950s her records were out of print, meaning she barely received any royalties in the later part of her career, and only earned $11 from royalties in 1958.

When narcotics cops were called to the dying woman’s bedside they claimed to have found heroin in her bedroom and a grand jury summoned to indict her.

Allegations have since arisen that cops targeted Billie due to her song Strange Fruit, which tackled the issue of lynching, with the Federal Bureau of Narcotics playing an instrumental part in her legal struggles.

Some sources even claimed Billie was ‘set up’ by cops and the drugs planted on her – though these claims have been disputed.

Cash strapped to leg

When Billie died aged just 44, she had just 70 cents in her bank account.

Dying without an official will, she had a further $750 in cash – that’s $7,450 in today’s money – strapped to her leg when she passed away.

Under New York law, Holiday’s estate went to her estranged husband, Mafia enforcer Louis McKay – who had been abusive to his wife throughout their marriage.

He was Billie’s sole heir, including to her royalties, and lived until he was 72 – leaving behind a wife and two sons when he died of a heart attack. But his next wife Bernice was awarded a third of her husband’s estate upon his death, which included some of Billie’s money.

Billie’s royalties at the time were estimated to be around $20,000 per year, with her total estate valued at $1million including her Upper West Side property and royalties.

By 2014, Billie’s total estate as it carried down was worth $14million.

Fan paid for grave

Billie’s funeral was attended by thousands – though she had no tombstone for almost a year.

She died so poor, with her husband refusing to pay for her funeral, that fans rallied around to buy her a grave marker.

A wealthy jazz fan named Michael Grace reportedly offered to pay for her grave and wanted to bury Billie beside baseball legend Babe Ruth in an upscale New York cemetery – but her husband refused.

Instead, Billie was buried next to her mother in an unmarked plot until fans began to fundraise for a grave marker.

Louis McKay objected to the charity and instead erected a monument for Billie and her mum at a cost of $3,500 – and they now share a tombstone at St. Raymond’s in the Bronx.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk