The estate of George “Bernie” Worrell Jr. has reportedly filed a lawsuit against chief architect of funk George Clinton and his Thang Inc. imprint. According to The Blast, the 77-year-old music legend stands accused of getting members of Parliament and Funkadelic hooked on drugs.
Worrell, who was an ex-bandmate of Clinton’s and passed away in 2016, co-wrote the majority of Clinton’s songs from the ’70s and ’80s, including when he was with both iconic funk outfits.
Worrell’s widow claims Clinton and her husband had a royalty deal stretching back to 1976. She also cites a document that alleges Clinton supplied his band with drugs and then deducted the cost from their pay. He would allegedly walk around and offer bumps of cocaine from his long fingernail.
“Clinton has a history of fraud, deceit, and delinquency when it comes to the performance of contracts that he has entered into on behalf of himself or his companies,” she explains. “Apparently, Clinton did this [deducting money] despite many band members not wanting drugs and needing money to provide for their families.
“Drug use was encouraged and pushed by Clinton. Another band member Grady Thomas recounts how, “[Clinton] had a long fingernail. And he would go around and…, ‘Hey man, here. Have some.’”
The document also reportedly states Clinton used his role as “drug supplier” as a way of “controlling the band members and justifying retaining the majority of money received from both royalties and live performances.”
Worrell’s widow says Clinton’s drug culture led to addiction for many of his band members who ultimately had to seek treatment.
“Members of the band members never recovered and drug addiction cost them their lives,” she says. “Clinton manipulated the band members with drugs and promises which were never kept.”
As a result, the estate is suing for an unspecified amount of damages.
Clinton got clean from hard drugs several years ago but explained in an interview with HipHopDX that he regularly uses medical marijuana.
“Most of the legal shit out there they got people hooked on is crazy,” he told DX last May. “The meds they give you now; everybody’s on them now — my doctor looked at me like, ‘I can’t make no money off of you’ because I don’t take no meds. I did all my meds beforehand. I don’t need to do no more [laughs].
“They got so many meds, you go in for a toothache, you leave with an addiction for the next 20 years. They give you enough samples to hook the whole family. You can’t tell me they don’t know what they’re doing. It’s just legalized. They’re legalized dope dealers. I got my medical marijuana. That’s all I need.”
Clinton is currently on his final tour.
So this pos waited til he died to sue.. We rly need laws against these things and to limit how scumbag lawyers manipulate their cliets for moneu
Peace ….
Actually this lawsuit has been on the book for years.,, and that’s just a black Fact. But a tragedy at best because most of the funk … not Bernie death was either drug or alcohol abuses related but the music lives on…,,,,☮️???
Can’t handle the Funk,I guess
IDK bout this.. I read George’s book, it sounds like he got royally screwed himself by managers/agents/etc.. And he claims he would give his band members writing credits generously even when he didnt need to, I havent checked to verify. This whole thing about supplying coke and taking it out of their pay- drugs definitely went around a whole lot with him and his bands, but were they forced upon bandmembers? Encouraging is one thing, but forcing? Accusation sounds a lil suspect to me. And like someone said below, did Bernie Worrell ever sue or wanna sue George himself? Not saying she’s lying but this sounds a lil suspect
Didnt no one put a gun to his head.and make him do it thats what is wrong with our race we are like crabs in a bucket of. One make it to the top the rest pull us down fucccin haters
Read George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History…Published in 1998, it gives a complex multivocal account of life onboard the mothership, including the drugs, including the deep contractual subterfuge… it’s all there, without a referee. On the one, Bushmeat Sound
Wow, who knew George Clinton was gansgta like Harold Melvin?
There’s always been open season on Black people. Listen to Yeshuh Pandera until you know it by hard and Bob Marley and Dick Gregory. You are mellinin man. These people are jealous. They will do anything
for money. You are in my prayers!
We are melinin men so why don’t we use it for our benefit. We all are spirit and energy conductors, but what do we get attached to every shinning piece worthless shit the devil tossed or way. When we saw that Cadillac we forgot about our spirit and abandoned our soul. Keep looking for spiritual satisfaction in material things and your black ass will be for ever loss.
Get those evil demons off George Clinton! With Holy Ghost fire! Ten times strong when I say fire, fire, fire, fire, fire. In Jesus name .Hallelujah, Halleujah, Halleujah!!!!!!!!
I see that people are just as ignorant and misinformed as they have always been! They devil’s reply was I only called you, you didn’t have to answer. Take some responsibility for your own fucking life. Just got to blame it on someone as long as it’s not the person that welcome’s it in most of the time with open arms. And woman wake up how long have you been saying that same shit a no help has come yet. I wonder how that is working out for you. Superstitious lost people.
“He would allegedly walk around and offer bumps of cocaine from his long fingernail.”
So this is what George meant with: Hey, Man, Smell My Finger?
“… co-wrote the majority of Clinton’s songs …”
Total BS. Worrell was a genius, but he did not write I Bet Ya, Testify, any of the Detroit era songs, Red Hot Momma, I Call My Baby Pussy. Worrell was not on Knee Deep, One Nation Under A Groove, Atomic Dog, etc. etc. Junie Morrison and David Spradley each wrote as much as Worrell. Bootsy Collins, Eddie Hazel, Garry Shider wrote more than Worrell.
All bands were doing drugs in the 1970s and 80s. Drugs derailed Parliament Funkadelic and George Clinton was as much a casualty as any of his band members. And the pressure was on him to keep the circus going. It was not in GC’s interest to have talent like Eddie Hazel hooked on drugs and in jail.
Worrell hasn’t toured with p-funk that long. By 1978 he had pretty much left. He had plenty of opportunities to develop his own career. Why keep blaming GC? This lawsuit makes no sense, is just a money grab from a widow who wasn’t even there.
I love the Maggot Overlord to death but airbody who’s followed the band since forever the problems the musicians had with GC’s legendary greed and manipulation. And to question Woo Worrell’s contribution and formulation of the P-funk Universe is insane. Make no mistake, the Doctor had the vision but the reason why the empire was successful was because the outstanding musicianship and love of the players and singers and handclappers and dedication to the funk. And if you’re gonna be honest, GC never played a note, he’s just the greatest rapper of all time.
As a FUNKATEER who got funked up many times with the , &on the band in Dayton Ohio&other places.
Who can blame whom for the chemical romance
of the sixties&beyond. There was no Mothership connection unless you “smelled this” & got up on the downstroke. Everybody going to see the light
under the sun,under the sun,under the sun
Rest in peace to Bernie Worrell the Woo Warrior and the rest of the funkateers funkin heaven up. On that note this lawsuit is janky as fuck. You cant force a grown ass man to do drugs… it’s a choice first and foremost. Music and drugs go hand in hand. These guys were young adults in the 60’s aka the front lines of Nixon’s war on drugs. I get it if the family feels robbed of whatever royalties the estate was entitled to but this aint it.
He was passing out Funkadelics…not Psychedelics…don’y ya know…Curtis Blow….opps that is a nutter peanut butter….yet, George has the ‘jam’…
And yeah” that was a real oops upside your head!
Really everyone knew drugs were around like water, George himself has been screwed out much $ due to lax business advice and skills. Bernie was a beast, but to say GC forced the band members to take drugs, is like shooting fish in a barrel. Funk is 4eva n this too shall pass…
More people trying to blame others for their choices.
This is just sad, people need to take responsibility for their own actions and choices. He’ll GC did not make anyone do anything, and besides, are they jealo7s? Sounds like it to me!
George knew people would come at him and have others trying to…
So to Bernie’s peeps… get in line?
how is that his fault?
Look. Bernie’s wife has no real suit with the royalties. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be making the suit about some bullshit like this. Bernie and the rest of those guys were grown men. They not only had the option to not take drugs, they had to the option to leave the group if they felt they weren’t getting respected or paid properly.
This is sad cause Bernie was SO talented and this just damages his legacy.
Somebody (a lawyer) done told her some shyt as to how she can get paid
I don’t think Bernie Worell would Approve of any of this, if he was still alive….I’m sure he would be the first to say that George Clinton didn’t forcefully shove cocaine up his nose… His wife is just trying to get paid, they can’t even prove that drugs kill him… Bernie Worrell was in 70s a period in age where unfortunately, most people die especially black people
Dr. George Clinton is the best character anyone can imagine. I have never ever experienced anything bad or negativ for me. He is very caring for anybody and rather prevent bad things than leading anybody into anything bad. I have seen many people asking people for drugs . So what has Mr. Clinton to do wit that? He was protecting me from people trying to give me drugs and chased them away from me. Everybody was protecting me. Boogie George Archie Bernie Worrell… E V E R Y B O D Y.
But s.o. send me faxes saying what lawyer I should take to sue George Clinton…….. I experienced these slandering people personally trying to get me on their side working AGAINST George Clinton. They are full of envy, free of talent and just trying to get money …. they cannot make without having a talent….. HIHIHI, I was laughing inside being gratefull they showed up who they are…..and which attorney to skip. My mama, my papa, my granny: WE LOVE GEORGE CLINTON for the great C H A R A C T E R he is. He is not trying ugly things because he is big enough not to have any need to do ugly things to people. Peope speaking
ugly just want to make their story big to get attention. Dr. Funkenstein is G R E A T and had given a drug addict a great doctor to get away from drugs . Dr. Funkenstein helps and supports…that is the deeper meaning of Parliament – Funkadelic and George Clinton. These side people do not have the abilities to underrstand Funk and P-Funk and bring their own character and uglyness ( those things they would do ) on the table. But are those people important, did they inherit a legacy, do they have s.th great in their lives ? no – not at all. They are just TRYING TO GET S.TH. out of Dr. Funkenstein. so ridicolous to treat a generous character like George Clinton so ugly. They can be sued for slandering. But what a waste of time…..
some of that has to be true ask this why were band members leaving when them as artist were peaking hmmmm and also ask they were forming their own bands as well tell me this how did some of those members started dying when they got a little older and why when members were leaving they left because of Clinton mismanagements that could mean anything but part of that I believe he was screwing them out of money as well because a lot of these guys were very young and a little naïve as well and did not know what they were getting in to after that they may have participated with the drugs whether their own or not their own admission that fact that this is happenening is a little questionable not saying it did or did not happen I hope he did not because when he dies he has to have account what he did if true may god help him but if true he is a very bad person and will rot in hell and I feel sorry for his soul and what he may or may not have done