Celia Cruz passed away on July 16, 2003, at the age of 77, from a brain tumor. She and Knight had lived outside of New York in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
According to the lawsuit, Cruz designated Knight as her sole beneficiary in her will. Cruz gained notoriety in the 1950s with the Afro-Cuban ensemble La Sonora Matancera, but he emigrated from Cuba in 1959.
Who inherited Celia Cruz money and estate?
Co-executor Omer Pardillo of Cliffside Park filed a lawsuit alleging that Falcon had taken money out of accounts for Knight, made “extravagant expenditures,” and failed to account for transfers of more than $1 million from Cruz’s estate.
Knight, who is 85 and has dementia, is also being improperly influenced by Falcon, according to the lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Knight and Falcon relocated to California after Cruz passed away in 2003.
On Thursday, Falcon could not be reached for comment. He tried calling a number listed on a legal document he submitted last month in another matter, but it kept going to voicemail.
