Preston Illness Prompts Legal Battle

As Billy Preston recovers following treatment for a heart inflammation in January, family members are reportedly in a court battle over who’s in charge of his care.

A recent news report claims Preston’s relatives filed for conservatorship to fight his decision to give manager and longtime friend Joyce Moore medical power of attorney. A follow-up report said a judge allowed Moore to retain the medical power of attorney as the case unfolds.

Moore said she could not comment on the court case because of a gag order, but said the entertainer is still fighting for his life in an Arizona hospital.

“He’s not on his deathbed [but] he’s in a serious medical condition,” she told Pollstar. “He’s not on a ventilator, he breathes on his own. He’s fighting hard, he’s holding his own.”

Preston, already with a history of chronic kidney failure and dialysis, was treated for pericarditis, an inflammation of the thin sac that surrounds the heart. In January, Moore told Pollstar the Grammy-winning singer was on the mend but would have a “long road” to recovery.

– Tina Amendola