D’Wayne Wiggins’ Children Challenge Cousin’s Control of $700K Estate

A probate dispute has emerged over the estate of D'Wayne Wiggins, co-founder of Tony! Toni! Toné!, one year after the R&B singer's death on March 7, 2025, in Oakland, California. He was 64. His death followed a private battle with bladder cancer.

Court filings reviewed by TMZ show Wiggins' daughter, Ilahn Wiggins, and her siblings, Dylan and Jaden, claim they were disinherited in favor of their cousin, Veleta Savannah. The children contend their father's final will was drafted and executed while he was receiving end-of-life care and under the influence of heavy medications that may have altered his mental state. Savannah disputes that claim, saying Wiggins knowingly chose to disinherit his children. A trial has been set for September.

Ilahn also alleges that Savannah, who held power of attorney, barred the children from entering Wiggins' home after his death and withdrew $20,000 from his bank account using that authority.

The estate is estimated at approximately $700,000, which may also include royalties tied to Tony! Toni! Toné!'s catalog — a body of work that helped define 1990s R&B. Many of the group's hit songs, such as “Feels Good,” “It Never Rains (In Southern California)” and “Anniversary” are still regularly played on radio and streaming sites. Questions about how to govern the royalties from these recordings and other long-term assets are at the core of the dispute between the parties.

Wiggins' marriage to Dori Wiggins just before his passing may also complicate any future claims by spouses, as well as how property will be divided among heirs in estate proceedings.

Wiggins played multiple roles as an artist; he performed, as well as mentored and produced for other artists, influencing their music and careers. Despite the legal conflict, his influence on R&B endures, and Tony! Toni! Toné! continued to reunite for tour appearances in the years before his illness.

Celebrity estate cases face ongoing obstacles, particularly regarding the future worth of music rights, as well as royalties, because they create very important issues of transparency and control of an artist's estate amongst relatives.