Etta James' Husband Granted Money to Cover Her Medical Costs

Etta James' husband Artis Mills has been given permission to use some of the ailing singer's savings to cover her medical costs while she undergoes treatment for leukaemia.

Riverside County, Calif. superior court judge Thomas Cahraman granted $60,000 (£37,500) to Mills to cover medical expenses until Feb. 24, BBC News reports.

The blues singer who, as previously reported by Spinner, has been receiving treatment for leukaemia and also suffers from dementia, is unable to carry out the most basic of tasks including eating, dressing and even signing her name, doctors have said. This in turn has led to a dispute over who has power of attorney with James' son Donto claiming he was given the responsibility by his mother, something Mills is contesting in court.

In a declaration to the court Donto explained that while he does not object to the release of funds for his mother's care, he would like a third party to oversee finances so as to "avoid present and future family conflict and discrepancies."

The 72-year-old singer has been out of the public spotlight since last January when she was sent to hospital following a blood infection.

Watch Etta James Performing 'Something's Got a Hold on Me'