Country music songwriter Darrell "Wayne" Perry wrote nearly 3,000 songs during his lifetime, many of them hits for major country stars. When he died at the age of 55 in 2005, his assets became immediately embroiled in accusations and acrimonious exchanges between his four children and his sister, who became executor of his estate.
 
That acrimony included a wrongful death lawsuit that the children filed in 2006 against their aunt, Darlene Bishop, alleging that she sought to have her brother eschew medical care in favor of prayer to combat his cancer. Bishop is an evangelist and co-pastor of an Ohio church. She denied the wrongful death charge, stating that she encouraged Perry to consult with his doctors.

"They have lied about me and harassed me because they wanted to get their hands on the money, and it's just not worth it," Bishop said.
 
That comment came in the wake of the estate's recent closing in a Hamilton probate court, in which a judge placed Perry's share of his music catalog into a trust for his four children. Many of Perry's songs have not yet been published or performed.

"We won't be able to forget the things Darlene has said and done," said Justin Jones, the songwriter's 31-year-old son. "It will scar our family for life, but now we can focus on keeping our father's music legacy alive."

The present estimated value of the Perry's music catalog is about $1 million.

Related Resource: www.google.com "Court feud over estate of songwriter ends in Ohio"