A judge in Los Angeles on Wednesday ordered that Cindy Birdsong, an 83-year-old former member of the Supremes, be put under a temporary conservatorship in which county officials would oversee her care and finances following a dispute over who has rightful legal control over her affairs.
Once a member of Motown royalty who performed hits like You Can't Hurry Love and Come See About Me alongside Diana Ross and Mary Wilson, Ms. Birdsong saw her life take a sharp turn after leaving the group in 1976. She lost much of her money attributing the situation to a bad closing deal with Motown Records and her health faltered after a series of strokes. The conservatorship case started winding its way through the court system this summer, when Ms. Birdsong's three living siblings asked for the legal arrangement based on concerns that for years a longtime friend had exerted undue influence over Birdsong's care and finances.
In court papers, representatives for that office expressed concern over how Ms. Birdsong's finances have been handled. The papers described Ms. Birdsong as in a vegetative state as of May. Due to Ms. Birdsong's medical condition, she is substantially unable to manage her financial resources or resist fraud or undue influence, the office's petition said. There exists a significant danger that Ms. Birdsong will lose all or a portion of her assets as a result of this incapacity
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