ODB’s Mom Talks About Son’s Legacy; Speaks Out Against Wife, New Book

On the anniversary of Wu-Tang co-founder Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s death, his mother Cherry Jones is speaking out about the infighting and controversy that continues to surround her son, even in death.   In an exclusive statement to AllHipHop.com, Mrs. Jones sought to dispel the numerous reports that have appeared about the care of ODB’s children […]

On the anniversary of Wu-Tang co-founder Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s death, his mother Cherry Jones is speaking out about the infighting and controversy that continues to surround her son, even in death.

 

In an exclusive statement to AllHipHop.com, Mrs. Jones sought to dispel the numerous reports that have appeared about the care of ODB’s children since his untimely death in 2004.

 

According to the grieving mother and concerned grandmother, the majority of the fallen rapper’s children have been disregarded as a result to poor money management at the hand of her daughter-in-law Icelene, who was married to Dirty at the time of his death.

 

Her actions, Jones says, have left the impression that Ol’ Dirty Bastard, born Russell T. Jones, did not make the proper provisions for his many children.

 

“My son loved every single one of his children and every single one of their mothers and provided for them all the best he could when he was alive,” Mrs. Jones told AllHipHop.com. “My son was an extremely generous soul. I am upset by the way the other children Rusty had fathered and cherished are not being taken care of properly. I am also outraged that it appears Icelene has been diverting money away from the other children and taking out personal loans against estate assets. ”

 

Mrs. Jones further alleged that Icelene, with whom she has not had the most cordial relationship, has taken numerous legal actions to block the release of Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s final album.

 

The recording, which Dirty was working on at the time of his fatal collapse in a Manhattan studio, was to be his first release via Roc-a-Fella records, and will now be released via Koch records.

 

Proceeds from the album would go to the rapper’s estate, which would then distribute the funds to his children.

 

Mrs. Jones also revealed that Digging for Dirt, the new biography penned by writer Jaime Lowe, was not authorized by the family.

 

She claimed that the family had specifically asked Lowe to omit information gathered during an interview with ODB, shortly before his death.

 

“After my son passed, this author, who knew my son for only a few hours, decided to write a book and asked [us] to take part in it,” recounted Mrs. Jones. “We declined and asked that she not write about any of the interview that was not published in the [Village] Voice. I am asking all of Dirty’s fans to boycott this book as none of the proceeds are going to the children and this author’s motives and intention seems to be in the vein of disgracing my son’s legacy.”

 

Ol’ Dirty Bastard was pronounced dead around 6:30 pm on November 13, 2004, approximately one hour after collapsing at the old Wu-Tan Clan studio on West 34th Street in New York City.

 

He had been complaining of chest pains.

 

An autopsy report released a month later revealed that he had suffered an accidental overdose due to a lethal mixture of cocaine and the prescription painkiller Tramadol.

 

He would have celebrated his 40th birthday today (November 13.)