Sugar Minott Intestacy Case Set For December 5

Family members of the late reggae star Sugar Minott are seeking a final resolution to a 14-year estate battle when they return to court on December 5th for a hearing with the Administrator General to finalize his estate affairs.

“The court verified my legal status as wife and directed the AG (Administrator General) to come back with their request for administration according to Intestacy rules,” Maxine Stowe, wife of Sugar Minott, told DancehallMag.

“It was the Court’s opinion that the administration to date had major flaws. There have been discussions between legal representatives as to what alternatives can be presented to the Court on the matter.”

One of those alternatives could be the sale of the estate.

Sugar Minott’s wife, Maxine Stowe, had been feuding with several of Minott’s children for years over matters concerning his estate and his life celebration event. Minott died in 2010 at age 54.

Sugar Minott married music executive Maxine Stowe, niece of Clement Coxsone Dodd in 1993, who at the time was working at Columbia Records. The couple had met at Coxsone’s Music City in Brooklyn, New York, in 1978, where they collaborated and produced the album, Roots Lovers. They remained married until his death.

There is hope for some rapprochement between the feuding parties as Pashon, who was once Stowe’s most vocal critic, is ready to let peace reign.

“Maxine and I, and a few of my siblings, have been in dialogue. We want everything to be under one umbrella,” Pashon had said in an earlier interview.

“And I know that once Maxine and I are in constant dialogue, and on great terms, things will move along well.”

Pashon’s mother had four children with the musical great.

The matter is in court because Sugar Minott died without a will, and if there is no togetherness, the court could arrange for a sale of the estate or the assets. But what is the value of Sugar Minott’s estate?

VALUE OF SUGAR MINOTT’S ESTATE

Minott passed in 2010, and 14 years later, the administration of the music part of his estate has not been effectively managed. Control of his vast catalogue is largely unresolved, which may have damaged the overall value of his intellectual property and his music.

The singer, real name Lincoln Barrington Minott, launched his career in the late 1960s as part of reggae trio The African Brothers.

He had a number four hit in the UK in March 1981 with Good Thing Going, a cover of a Michael Jackson song, which is arguably his biggest hit. Other standout songs on the international market include Babylon with 2,31 million spins on Spotify, Hard Time Pressure with 1.47 million, My Love Is True with 817,375 streams and Exit Music (For a Film) with 1.16 million streams.

Minott launched a solo career in the 1970s and recorded for the famed Studio One label.

He built a following in the dancehalls of Jamaica and recorded songs including Vanity, Mr DC, Herbman Hustling and House Is Not A Home.

He went on to nurture new talent with his own Black Roots and Youth Promotion labels.