The autopsy of B.B. King has shown no evidence of poisoning, after two of King’s daughter’s, Karen Williams and Patty King, had stated (through their lawyer Larissa Drohobyczer), their belief that their father’s business manager of 39 years, LaVerne Toney, and assistant Myron Johnson, had “hastened” his death.”Ms. Toney and Mr. Johnson are very happy that these false and fictional allegations that were made against them by certain of Mr. King’s children have been dispelled,” said the lawyer for King’s estate, Brent Bryson. “Hopefully we can now focus on the body of musical work that B.B. King left the world, and he can finally rest in peace.”
Coroner John Fudenberg said the cause of death was Alzheimer’s disease, combined with coronary disease, heart failure and Type 2 diabetes. “Considering the information available to any clinical physician at the time, multi-infarct dementia was a reasonable conclusion to reach,” Fudenberg told the Associated Press.
Four of B.B. King’s daughter’s: Williams, Patty King, Rita Washington and Barbara Winfree had previously contested their father’s will, of which LaVerne Toney is executor, claiming he wasn’t sufficiently cared before his death. Speaking after the results of the autopsy were released, Rita Washington said, “I’m glad it’s natural causes, we just didn’t know what was going on and what had happened with our father.”