Dr. Dre and Ex-Wife Nicole Young Reach $100 Million Divorce Settlement

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With the holidays upon us in full force and Omicron causing a new wave of Covid concerns and cancellations, it’s no surprise that some of us might have forgotten about Dr. Dre — more specifically his ongoing divorce battle with Nicole Young.

The couple, married for 24 years before Nicole filed for divorce in 2020, citing irreconcilable differences, were declared legally single in June of this year after filing legal paperwork that terminated marital or domestic partnership status between them.

Now, according to reporting from TMZ the 56-year-old music mogul and his ex (51), have finalized the rest of the divorce with a settlement that will give her less than 1/5 of his estimated $820 million dollar fortune.

Thanks in part to a prenuptial agreement, which Nicole contested, Dre will pay Young just $100 million split into two payments, one now and another a year from now. While the sum is significant, things could have gone much worse for the artist.

Dr. Dre and ex-wife Nicole Young reached a massive divorce settlement Tuesday that will see Young walk away from their 24-year marriage with $100 million https://t.co/7nWtmf7sL4

— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) December 28, 2021

Young originally filed for half of everything, but her attempts to overturn the prenuptial agreement outright proved futile in the end. The couple will split a fleet of 10 cars, with Dre getting six and Nicole receiving four. Dre retained much of their property — including a Malibu home; two homes in Calabasas, and four properties in the L.A. area, including their $100 million Brentwood estate, and most importantly, he keeps the full rights to his master recordings, trademarks, and interests in various partnerships and trusts.

Young was allowed to retain all the money in her personal accounts accrued and jewelry she received while married to Dre but loses the right to spousal support and must pay the millions in legal bills she piled up fighting the prenuptial agreement. The couple’s kids, son Truice (24) and daughter Truly (20), are adults.

The ruling is seen by many as a victory for the music producer, but it may hurt him more financially than initially thought according to reporting from Rolling Stone. He filed paperwork in Nov. during divorce proceedings that placed his net worth at $458.2 million, with $182.7 million in cash; another $6.3 million in stocks, and $269.2 million in property and assets, including intellectual property. Much of his estimated wealth comes from his stake in Beats Electronics, which Apple bought for $3 billion in 2014. His stake was worth $800 million at the time, and. It is unclear what accounts for the discrepancy.

Motown Legend Wanda Young Dead at 78

Courtesy Motown Museum 

Over the weekend, Wanda Young, one of the lead singers of Motown girl group The Marvelettes, which found chart-topping success with their infectious brand of doo-wop in the 1960s, was confirmed to have died at the age of 78 earlier this year.

Young’s daughter, Meta Ventress, confirmed to The New York Times in a story published Saturday that her mother died on Dec. 15, in suburban Detroit from complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Young, who also recorded as Wanda Rogers after marrying fellow Motown alum, The Miracles Bobby Rogers in 1963, was an early replacement member for the group originally named The Casinyets, replacing founding member Georgia Dobbins shortly before the group signed its first deal with Motown.

After taking a backseat to group founder Gladys Horton, singing lead on B-sides and co-leads on some of the group’s songs but not their singles; Young scored her first A-side lead and a desperately needed hit for the then waning group with "I'll Keep Holding On" in 1965. The Young-led single peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard R&B charts and started a new area of success for the group.

Young remained the lead singer until the group disbanded in 1970, singing on such classics as the million-seller “Don’t Mess With Bill,” "The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game", "When You're Young and in Love," and "My Baby Must Be a Magician.”

Ventress told the Times her mother, who released a solo album produced by Smokey Robinson in 1970 that was billed as “The Return of The Marvelettes,” despite other group members not participating, didn’t wake up every day thinking of The Marvelettes. But she never lost that glamour.

“I told her constantly, ‘All these people love you,’” Ventress said. “And she’d say, ‘Wow.’”

The album flopped and Young left the label and lived off royalties, for the most part, making brief returns to performing in the 80s and 90s.

Founded by 15-year-old Horton in the fall of 1960 with fellow members of her high school glee club at Inkster Michigan’s eponymously named high school, The Marvelettes had a string of hits with Motown after being signed by Motown chief Berry Gordy.

Their signature song and first major release for the label, the 1961 number-one single, "Please Mr. Postman,” was one of the first number-one singles recorded by an all-female vocal group. The Marvelettes have been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice. On August 17, 2013, The Marvelettes were inducted into the first class of the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame.

Katherine Anderson, Georgeanna Tillman, Juanita Cowart, and Dobbins round out the original lineup for the group.

Along with Ventress, Young is survived by her other children, Robert Rogers III and Bobbae Rogers; seven grandchildren; a great-grandson; four sisters and four brothers.

Congress Opens Investigation Into Astroworld Promoter Live Nation

Live Nation, the promoter of the Astroworld music festival, is under investigation by a congressional committee for its role in the tragic event that saw 10 people killed by a deadly crowd surge while headliner Travis Scott performed.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee sent a letter Wednesday to Live Nation Entertainment Inc. President and CEO Michael Rapino requesting information on preparation and safety measures for the Nov. 5 event.

“We are writing to request information regarding the tragic events on November 5, 2021, when a stampede crushed concertgoers, killing ten people and injuring hundreds more during Astroworld Music Festival. Those who died ranged in age from 9 to 27 years old. Concert attendees have provided firsthand accounts of being crushed within the crowd as it surged towards the stage,” the letter reads in part.

The letter, issued by committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney, D-New York, and Ranking Member James Comer, R-Kentucky, went on to note its concerns about the company and its practices and provide examples of negligence it would be investigating.

“Recent reports raise serious concerns about whether your company took adequate steps to ensure the safety of the 50,000 concertgoers who attended Astroworld Festival,” the letter, which was also signed by U.S. Reps. Al Green, D-Houston, and Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, continues. “For instance, reports indicate that security and medical staff were inexperienced or ill-equipped to deal with mass injuries,” they wrote. “Some attendees stated that the placement of barricades made it difficult to escape. Experts have stated that Astroworld Festival organizers failed to heed warning signs.”

It also called out the company's conduct following the festival, noting its concern over reports that “Live Nation and its subsidiary reportedly have withheld pay until part-time employees who worked the festival have signed a revised employment contract, correcting the original version signed prior to the festival that was dated 2018. The revision makes it clear that the contract, which includes a broad provision releasing Live Nation from liability, applies to the 2021 festival.”

The committee has requested documentation from Live Nation by Jan. 7, 2022, and asked it to provide a closed-door briefing to the members of the committee by Jan. 12.

Live Nation responded with a statement saying that it is “assisting local authorities in their investigation and will of course share information with the Committee as well.”

“Safety is core to live events and Live Nation engages in detailed security planning in coordination with local stakeholders including law enforcement, fire and EMT professionals,” the company said.

According to an investigation by the Houston Chronicle, the company and its subsidiary Live Nation Worldwide have been linked to at least 750 injuries and around 200 deaths at its events in seven countries since 2006.