The family of Cindy Birdsong has requested to put the Supremes singer under conservatorship as her health continues to decline.
According to a report from the New York Times, the 83-year-old’s relatives asked a Los Angeles court to have her brother, Ronald Birdsong, and entertainment manager, Brad Herman, serve as co-conservators — and remove caretaker Rochelle Lander.
Per the outlet, the family claims that Lander, who was given power of attorney by Cindy over a decade ago, has been “isolating” the singer from her friends and family in an effort to control her health and finances.
Although the two women have lived together for years, Ronald claims Lander has been keeping them “in the blind” about her worsening health.
The family alleges that Lander “became increasingly secretive about the status of Birdsong’s health” following her second stroke about seven years ago.
In fact, after the health scare, Lander allegedly refused even to tell the family where Cindy was getting treatment.
“We didn’t even know where Cindy was,” Melody Birdsong, the singer’s sister-in-law, claimed to the outlet.
Several family members claim that they repeatedly tried to visit Cindy but that Lander would not allow them to.
Their concerns reportedly only grew when they finally were able to visit Cindy only to find her on a feeding tube.
“I was so devastated this last time I went to see my sister because that’s not how she was the last time that I saw her,” Cindy’s sister Terri Birdsong told the outlet. “I was able to feed her and cook for her and then I show up and she’s on a feeding tube?”
Soon after, the family got the police involved and Cindy was removed from the home and put into a skilled nursing facility in 2021. At the time, police cited her “deteriorating condition.”
However, Lander alleged to police that Cindy “had a complete mental break” and that “nobody else” would “help her.”
While family members claim Cindy “is totally incapacitated,” the nursing facility also shared a summary of her condition, noting that the songstress is “unable to get out of bed or communicate” and that she is still on a feeding tube.
Family members claim they initiated the conservatorship proceeding to make sure that Lander no longer had control of Cindy’s life and finances, which are already dwindled.
The court has scheduled a hearing for August.
Cindy joined The Supremes in 1967 but ended up leaving the group nine years later. Following her musical success, she decided to take a step back from the spotlight and has remained largely hidden from the world since.
“It has been an open secret among the Motown family, the tragedy of Cindy,” Herman, who has previously worked with clients such as Burt Reynolds and Pat Boone, told the outlet.
