The family of late Tony! Toni! Toné! co-founder D’Wayne Wiggins is continuing to battle over his estate, with a judge temporarily freezing distributions from his reported $700,000 fortune.
According to court documents reported by Complex and obtained by TMZ, money from Wiggins’ estate and trust cannot currently be distributed to third parties while his relatives fight over his final wishes. The court order also prevents charitable payments, including donations, scholarships and grants connected to Wiggins’ work.
At the center of the dispute is Wiggins’ niece, Veleta Savannah, who says the musician placed her in control of his trust and estate before his death in March 2025.
Savannah maintains that Wiggins was mentally capable of making those decisions. She points to a medical evaluation conducted shortly before he signed new estate documents, saying a doctor found him alert and capable of handling his affairs or directing someone else to do so. She says Wiggins subsequently signed a new will and trust and intentionally chose to leave his children out of the inheritance.
Wiggins’ daughter, Ilahn Wiggins, and other relatives dispute that account. They argue that the musician was receiving end-of-life treatment and taking heavy medication when the documents were signed, raising questions about whether he had the mental capacity to make legally binding decisions.
The family dispute also involves approximately $20,000 that Ilahn alleges was withdrawn from one of her father’s bank accounts using a power of attorney. Savannah has denied the broader allegations that Wiggins was incapable of directing his financial affairs.
Remembering D’Wayne Wiggins
Wiggins was a founding member of Tony! Toni! Toné!, which he formed in Oakland with his brother Raphael Saadiq and cousin Timothy Christian Riley. The group became one of the most influential R&B acts of the late 1980s and 1990s.
The group’s catalog includes such classics as “Feels Good,” “It Never Rains (In Southern California)” and “Anniversary.” Wiggins also worked with artists including D’Angelo, En Vogue and Tevin Campbell.
Wiggins died from cancer in Oakland on March 7, 2025, at age 64. His musical legacy remains significant, but his family is now facing a legal battle over how his final wishes should be honored and how his estate should be handled.
For now, the reported $700,000 estate remains under court restrictions while the dispute continues.
