B.B. King was not poisoned before his death, a post-mortem examination of the blues legend's body has revealed.
Tests were conducted after two of the musician's daughters made claims back in May that their father had been poisoned by his closest aides in the days before he passed away at the age of 89 on May 14.
His daughters, Karen Williams and Patty King, alleged in documents provided to Us Weekly via their lawyer Larissa Drohobyczer, that the beloved singer was killed by those closest to him. The daughters — two of King's 11 surviving and adoptive children — called out King's business manager, LaVerne Toney, and his personal assistant, Myron Johnson, as the suspects who were allegedly behind the murder.
However, an autopsy report has revealed King's cause of death to be Alzheimer's disease, plus physical conditions including coronary disease, heart failure, and the effects of type 2 diabetes, Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg told the Associated Press late on Monday, July 13.
Back in May, the "My Lucille" singer's lawyer Brent Bryson called King's daughters' claims "ridiculous," adding, "I hope they have a factual basis that they can demonstrate for their defamatory and libelous allegations."
"Unfortunately even musical icons die,” Bryson said in a statement to Us, which also noted that King was monitored on a 24-hour basis by certified nursing assistants prior to his death. "Ms. Toney did everything she could to carry out the wishes of Mr. King while he was alive, and continues to carry out Mr. King’s wishes after his death," he added.
The legendary singer was laid to rest in Indianola, Mississippi, on May 30, 2015.
