How many brothers did Ray Charles have?
The younger of two brothers, Charles was born to working-class parents. His mother, Aretha, had a job in a sawmill; his father, Bailey, worked as a mechanic. Charles played music from the age of three. When he was five, he began losing his sight to glaucoma.
How did Ray’s brother died?
Ray Charles grew up with both parents and one other sibling, his brother George. At the age of four, George (Ray’s brother) drowned in his mother’s laundry tub. Ray Charles was the only person to witness to what happened to his brother, but he never thought his brother’s death would affect him later in life.
What caused Ray Charles to go blind as a child?
Pitman would also care for Ray’s younger brother George, to take some of the burden off their mother. George drowned in his mother’s laundry tub when he was four years old. Charles started to lose his sight at the age of four or five, and was blind by the age of seven, likely as a result of glaucoma.
Who inherited Ray Charles money?
Charles’ 12 children have just survived the first big challenge in their termination attempt. When he died in 2004, Charles left most of his estate to the Ray Charles Foundation, a charity that supports the vision- or hearing-impaired.
What did Ray Charles go blind from?
glaucoma
Ray Charles did not lose his sight until he was about seven years old. Years later, doctors suggested that juvenile glaucoma had caused his blindness.
Did Ray Charles really watch his brother died?
When he was about five, Charles witnessed the drowning death of his younger brother. The two boys had been in the backyard playing near a large metal tub their mother used for washing clothes when four-year-old George slipped over the edge and into the soapy water.
Why were Ray Charles eyes closed?
At the age of 7, he became completely blind when his right eye was removed due to intense pain. Most medical experts agree glaucoma was the culprit, although growing up in Charles’ time and place, not to mention economic background, no one will ever be able to say for sure.
Why did Ray Charles hug himself?
I met Ray Charles in 1975, when he agreed to let me ghostwrite his autobiography. He was vulgar, refined, funny, sexy, spontaneous, outlandish, brave, brutal, tender, blue, ecstatic. He would wrap his arms around his torso, hugging himself in a grand gesture of self-affirmation.
What did Ray Charles children inherit?
Charles reportedly left $500,000 to each of his 12 children, and gave the rest of his estimated $75 million estate, and licensing rights to his music, to Ray Charles Enterprises. The foundation absorbed Ray Charles Enterprises after Charles’ death.
How much money did Ray Charles give his children?
Estate Legal Battle: Ray was survived by 12 children from 10 different women. According to the terms of his will, each child was gifted $500,000. That’s $6 million. He also apparently hinted to them in person that they would receive more money down the line.
Was Ray Charles in the military?
While in military service, Ray received two Bronze Star medals and the Armed Forces Humanitarian Service Award. During that time he did tours of duty in Vietnam, Germany, Okinawa (in Japan), and South Korea. In 1983, one year after retirement, Ray joined the U.S. Foreign Service.