The quiet journey of Charles Wayne Hendricks, growing up as Ray Charles' son
American jazz singer and composer Ray Charles had twelve children, including little-known Charles Wayne Hendricks. Like many of his children, Hendricks was a love child, born from an affair with his backup dancer and The Raellettes lead singer, Marjorie 'Margie' Hendrix.
Source: Facebook
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Charles Wayne Hendricks was born on 1 October 1959, the son of Ray Charles and his backup singer, Margie Hendrix.
- Hendricks was one of Ray Charles' twelve children and had eleven half-siblings.
- Upon his mother's death, Charles Wayne Hendricks was raised by his father, Ray Charles, and later married Marlene Hendricks, with whom he had seven children.
- Charles Wayne Hendricks died on 7 May 2013, at the age of 53, although the exact cause of his death remains unknown.
Profile summary
Full name | Charles Wayne Hendricks |
Gender | Male |
Date of birth | 1 October 1959 |
Date of death | 7 May 2013 |
Age at time of death | 53 years |
Zodiac sign | Libra |
Place of birth | Harlem, New York City, United States |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Black |
Religion | Christian |
Eye colour | Brown |
Hair colour | Black |
Father | Ray Charles Robinson |
Mother | Marjorie 'Margie' Hendrix (Hendricks) |
Siblings | 11 |
Marital status (at the time of death) | Married |
Spouse | Marlene Hendricks |
Biological children | 7 |
Stepchildren | 3 |
Profession | Undisclosed |
Who is Charles Wayne Hendricks?
Charles Wayne Hendricks was born to one of the most famous blind personalities, Ray Charles Robinson, and his backup singer, Marjorie 'Margie' Hendrix. At the time of his death, he was 74 years old, and his zodiac sign was Libra.
According to the jazz singer's revised biography, Ray Charles: Man and Music, Updated Commemorative Edition by Michael Lydon, he was born on 1 October 1959. However, a Taylor Mortuary obituary states that he was born on 19 October 1949.
Charles Wayne Hendricks' half-siblings include Evelyn, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David, Robert, Renee, Sheila, Reatha Butler, Alexandra Bertrand, Vincent Kotchounian, Robyn Moffett, and Ryan Corey Robinson den Bok.
Source: Original
Charles Hendricks' early years in the care of a legend
The pair were involved in a seven-year on-again, off-again affair. Despite not being married, Ray provided financial assistance to Margie and Charles while they lived in Harlem with her sister, Lula Hendricks.
After Charles Wayne Hendricks' mother's death, he went into the care of his father. Much is not known about his life in his father's care.
How Charles Wayne Hendricks carved his own path
Wayne later married Marlene Hendricks, with whom he had seven children. His children include Joel Spiller, Jr., Jeremy Casner, Nick Casner, Antoinette Hendricks, Charli Hendricks, Danielle Casner, and Jacqueline Spiller.
Three more children from Marlene's previous relationships joined the blended family. They are Steven Barker, Anthony Barker, and Freddie Haynes.
What happened to Charles Hendricks' mother?
Source: Twitter
Margie Hendricks is best known for her powerful voice in many of Ray Charles' songs. In the movie Ray, Boondocks cast member Regina King played the role of Margie Hendricks. She recounted her experience representing a largely unknown figure in an interview with Legends Underrated.
There aren't a lot of photographs of her. There aren't a lot of video clips, so it's not really like I have someone to kind of study their movements, you know. So all I have is her music and her voice to study... she was just this raw talent that was strong in the 60s and spoke her mind.
In addition to struggling with a substance addiction, Margie suffered serious injuries in an accident in Cleveland, Texas, USA, as reported by the Jet on 7 September 1967.
The founding member of The Raelettes suffered injuries when the car that her husband, Robert Fulson, was driving was struck by a lumber truck. She sustained neck injuries and a slight loss of hearing in the right ear. This put a strain on her ability to earn, sinking her further into drugs and addiction.
Charles Hendricks' battle for his father's estate
Source: Twitter
Towards the end of his life, the I Can't Stop Loving You singer brought together 10 of his children and assured them that each of them would receive $500,000 after he died, paid out over five years. However, after his death on 10 October 2004, Ray Charles's estate became embroiled in a long succession battle.
Years later, seven of his half-siblings, Raenee Robinson, Ray Charles Robinson, Jr., Sheila Robinson, David Robinson, Robert F. Robinson, Reatha Butler, and Robyn Moffett, challenged the succession and filed motions to get back rights to Charles’ songs. Charles Wayne Hendricks' interest in the case has not been recorded.
FAQs
- How many biological children did Ray Charles have? Ray Charles had 12 biological children.
- How much money did Ray Charles leave his children? Ray Charles left each of his 12 children a $500,000 trust fund.
- How many baby mamas does Ray Charles have? He had 10 baby mamas.
- How many times did Ray Charles get married? Ray Charles was married twice, to Eileen Williams and Della Beatrice Howard Robinson.
- Did Margie have Ray Charles' baby? Margie Hendricks had a son with Ray Charles named Charles Wayne Hendricks.
- How many kids did Ray Charles have with Margie? The lovers had one son together.
- What happened to Margie Hendrix? She died on 14 July 1973, at the age of 38.
- Is Charles Wayne Hendricks still alive? He died on 7 May 2013.
- What was the cause of Charles Wayne Hendricks' death? Charles Wayne Hendricks' cause of death remains a mystery to date.
Charles Wayne Hendricks was the son of music royalty, born from the relationship between Ray Charles and Raelette Margie Hendrix. After his mother's tragic death, he was raised by his father and lived a relatively private life as a husband and father of seven.
Legit.ng has recently published an article diving into the lives of all Ray Charles' children. The iconic American singer, songwriter, and pianist's prowess in the music industry earned him the nickname The Genius.
In addition to his career, Charles's reputation as a family man remains alive decades after his death on 10 June 2004. Read on for details of his twelve children's personal and professional lives.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
