Jackie Wilson spent eight years in a coma under a court-appointed guardian, died $300,000 in debt, and was buried in an unmarked grave

On 29 September 1975 Jackie Wilson had a heart attack while singing at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, during a Dick Clark revue. Lack of oxygen left him in a coma. He woke briefly in early 1976, took a few steps, and slipped back into a semi-coma. His manager Nat Tarnopol held his power of attorney and had gained 50 percent of Brunswick Records. Tarnopol and 18 other Brunswick executives were indicted on mail fraud and tax charges; the indictment said Tarnopol owed Wilson about $1 million in royalties. They were convicted in 1976, and an appeals court overturned the convictions 18 months later. The judges said there was enough evidence for Wilson to sue, but he was in a nursing home and no suit was tried. In 1978 a court made his estranged wife, Harlean Harris, and her lawyer, John Mulkerin, his guardians after a friend, Joyce McRae, had tried to take over his care^†. Harlean later said she ran the estate because she was his court-appointed guardian. Wilson died on 21 January 1984, aged 49, about $300,000 in debt. More than 1,000 people attended his Detroit funeral, and he was buried in an unmarked grave. Fans later raised money for a mausoleum at Westlawn Cemetery in Wayne, Michigan, and he was reburied there. Harlean died on 24 August 2019, 11 days before his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was dedicated.