Soul singer Isaac Hayes was strongly associated with Scientology in the later years of his life. He even quit his job as the voice of Chef on “South Park” over an episode of the show that mocked the religion. But it turns out that Hayes wasn’t willing to show the cult any financial love in his last will and testament. Looks like Kelly Preston got all dolled up for those funerals for nothing.
The last will and testament of the late superstar Isaac Hayes’s is being probated right now. And guess what? Hayes left nothing to the Church of Scientology.
This news must sting something awful, as numerous well-known Scientologists attended not one but maybe four different funerals and memorial services for Hayes in August after he died.
But according to sources who know the inner workings of Hayes’s estate, the “Shaft” composer divided his will in thirds. Portions go to his 11 elder children; his widow and young son; and his charitable foundation.
There was no provision for the Church, which ordinarily requires its celebrity members to pony up while they’re alive. Big donors include usual suspects Tom Cruise, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, and so on.
Preston, who knew Hayes only slightly through the church, carried on at both Memphis funerals, crying on cue and blubbering to anyone who’d listen about how much she “loved” Hayes. This amused to no end the Memphis musicians who’d known Hayes for 40 years.
While I’m sure the COS was able to suck quite a bit of cash out Hayes while he was alive, this news had to hurt them a little bit. In case you’re wondering, his charitable foundation was in no way affiliated with Scientology – it’s an organization aimed at funding the Stax Academy of Music, a music school located in Memphis, as well as global literacy organizations. His foundation helped impoverished schools in Ghana, Africa establish Internet links for students.
Isaac Hayes is shown in the header on 2/4/05 at the opening of Denzel Washington’s play “Julius Caesar” in NY. Credit: WENN He is shown below performing on 8/18/07 at Summer Soul Jam in Compton, CA. Credit: PRPhotos
I would love to think this is Hayes giving the CoS the finger from the afterlife. What I’d love even more would be if he never paid them a dollar while alive, but promised he’d see them ‘right’ in his will. 8)
I’m sure Tom C. had his panties in a wad over that one.
You read my mind, MSat. I thought the charitable organization was going to be some sort of project to pass out red strings in Knoxville or something.
I wonder if Hayes changed his will after the anti-CoS backlash against the “South Park” stuff. It would be interesting to know how many versions of the will exist.
All I have to say is:
Ahahahahahahaha
That is all.
“He even quit his job as the voice of Chef on “South Park” over an episode of the show that mocked the religion. ”
Actually, no he didn’t. It was widely reported that that was false. Scientology pressured him to quit after the Tom Cruise Is in the Closet SP episode, but he didn’t. He did, however, have a serious stroke.
All the press releases about his unhappiness with the show was spin put out by the “church”, not Hayes, but he was too ill to deal with it. Clearly he got the last laugh, though.
Well, maybe cc got the last laugh.
That’s really interesting WTF, could I ask where you read that or did you hear it from someone who is connected with them?
Utter scuzzbuckets if even half of that is true, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising.
WTF… 😀
What can be left after it’s divided up between 11 children. Scientology owns half the universe. Don’t think they gonna miss it that much.
The Super Adventure Club won’t stand for that !!
WTF is right. I read that as well. Besides we are talking South Park here, the show that makes fun of EVERYTHING. This is the show where Jesus has a call in show on access cable.
He had a stroke and then COS made the announcement that he quit the show over the Tom Cruise won’t come out of the closet episode.
Apparently his family was not a big supporter of his COS involvement and made the announcement that he has not left the show over any disagreement and said that Comedy Central had always been wonderful to him.
Final vindication for Mr Hayes.
suck it, scientology!
Goodbye Chef!
We will all miss you !!!
You turned out to be an ok Scientologist!!!
About the South Park thing – I’m pretty surprised to hear that because Trey Parker & Matt Stone themselves talked about it on the DVDs and in heaps of interviews; like including video’d ones. They totally talked about “things being said” and told that Hayes called them up and said that he couldn’t be a part of the show any longer because of SPs “religious intollerance”. Parker & Stone talked about how they considered that total BS because they are ALWAYS intollerant to ALL religeons; that Hayes had been involved in all those episodes with no qualms but then up comes the COS one and he resigned. Also the last episode with Chef in it – cunningly referred to by a SP watching poster above with the Super Adventure Club in it – completely substantiates all of this. I just don’t buy what appears to me to be “post spin” that comes from people making statements after the event that do not match up with what was said and happened at the time. unless you think that Stone & Parker themselves were BSing which again, I just don’t buy.