Celebrity Legacies
Ray Charles
TV-MA
S1 • E12 Jan 19, 2015 60mRay Charles revolutionized American music and was catapulted to legendary status as a music pioneer. The blind piano man with the distinctive voice is credited with virtually inventing soul music. His tumultuous personal life left him with 12 children by 10 different women. When he died at age 73 Ray left a messy estate that had loved ones dragging his name through the courts for years. He was the first major recording artist to get control over his recordings with a big label creating a lifetime of valuable intellectual property. It earned him a fortune that keeps growing to this day.