Songwriter, singer and actress Irene Cara’s estate is busy paying debts and selling the late singer’s personal property. Most recently, the estate sold Cara’s home in Florida for $499,000.
According to court documents reportedly retrieved by RadarOnline, a judge authorized the estate to sell Cara’s four-bedroom, two-bathroom home located in Largo, Florida. Cara purchased the home in 2014 for $238,000. In 2022, she was found dead in the home. Medical examiners determined that Cara died of arteriosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
In addition, the estate has sold an estimated 280 items belonging to Cara including personal memorabilia, costumes, jewelry, artwork, recordings and more by Richard Stedman Estate Services.
Cara was worth a reported $2 million at the time of her death. Cara got her start in entertainment as a child with roles in Broadway productions such as “Maggie Flynn” and starred in movies such as “Sparkle.” Cara’s big break came in 1980 when she starred in the film “Fame” and sang the title song, “Fame.” Three years later, Cara would co-write and perform the title song for “Flashdance.” The song “What A Feeling” would win an Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and Grammy Award.
A Further Look At The Estate
In January 2023, Cara’s sister, Antoinette Greer filed a petition to establish co-administrators of her estate. Greer’s petition named Michelle Spicer and Tashika Ortiz as the co-administrators. Spicer and Ortiz are Greer’s daughters.
In addition to naming herself, Greer also listed a sister, Myrta, nephews Michael and Mario, along with nieces Marion and Michelle as beneficiaries of Cara’s estate.
Within weeks of being named as co-administrators of Cara’s estate, Spicer and Ortiz petitioned the court to continue running Cara’s business, Caramel Productions. The company was owned by Cara and provided music production, entertainment, catalog management and other related services. Ortiz and Spicer told the court that they needed access to corporate accounts associated with Caramel Productions so that they could file annual reports to keep the business active while also being able to generate income and pay operating expenses. As the co-administrators of Cara’s estate, Ortiz and Spicer needed to divide and distribute assets belonging to the estate in relation to Caramel Productions.
Cara’s estate also needed to settle several claims filed by creditors. Cara’s manager, Betty McCormick requested payment of $4,393 for cremation/burial services for the songwriter. McCormick also filed an additional claim for $1,599.50 for biohazard cleanup in Cara’s home. According to RadarOnline, court records showed that claims filed by McCormick were resolved.
Objections and Pending Claims
Despite resolving McCormick’s claims, the co-administrators filed an objection to a claim filed by Midwest Talent Management, Inc in September 2023. In addition to this objection, there are two unresolved creditor claims and the pending probate case.