Curtis Mayfield's manager ran his estate; his widow said the manager borrowed against the songs and took about $920,000 in commissions

Curtis Mayfield was paralyzed from the neck down in 1990 when lighting equipment fell on him at an outdoor concert in Brooklyn^†. He died in 1999 at 57. He left a widow, Altheida, and ten children by several women; eight were official heirs. His will named Marv Heiman, his manager and a business partner of about 30 years, as executor, and Heiman co-administered the family trust with Altheida. In July 2003 Altheida alleged that Heiman had arranged a loan against Mayfield's copyrights, a "Bowie Bond" style securitization, that raised $5.4 million. She said the family did not need the money. Her claims, as reported: each of the eight heirs got $65,000; two children who were not heirs were also paid; Heiman took a 10 percent commission of $540,000 on that deal and $380,000 more on other publishing deals; and he drew over $500,000 in management fees and $350,000 in office expenses. She said he invested her money in a Florida company where he was a director without telling her. She said he refused to resign and withheld her quarterly trust payment. Her lawyers drafted a motion for the Atlanta probate court to remove him. Heiman did not respond to the press. The family's suit lasted nearly a decade; Heiman resigned from the estate board, and a Georgia appeals court dismissed the suit in 2009. In 2026 Altheida Mayfield runs the estate.