Who is Rochelle Lander? Cindy Birdsong's family alleges longtime caretaker kept them 'in the blind' about singer's worsening health
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Retired singer Cindy Birdsong's family has requested to put her under a conservatorship and remove caretaker Rochelle Lander. According to a report by The New York Times, the former member of The Supremes gave power of attorney to caretaker Lander over 10 years ago, and they have lived together for six years. The conservatorship proceeding was reportedly initiated by Birdsong's family to make sure that her life and finances would not be under the control of Lander.
It has been reported that Birdsong's family asked a Los Angeles Superior Court judge last month to establish her brother Ronald and entertainment manager Brad Herman to serve as co-conservators and also get rid of Lander from her care. Herman has previously worked with clients like Burt Reynolds and Pat Boone.
Birdsong family's allegations
Birdsong's family alleges that Lander "became increasingly secretive about the status of Birdsong’s health" following her second stroke seven years back and refused to share the details of the medical facility where she was undergoing treatment. Her family claims that Lander began "isolating her from friends and family even as her health worsened."
"We didn’t even know where Cindy was," Melody Birdsong, the singer’s sister-in-law, claimed. Other family members claimed they had "repeatedly tried to visit" Birdsong but Lander refused them. The family members were finally allowed to see the 83-year-old but they grew highly concerned when they found her hooked up to a feeding tube.
"I was so devastated this last time I went to see my sister because that’s not how she was the last time that I saw her," Cindy’s sister Terri Birdsong told the outlet. "I was able to feed her and cook for her and then I show up and she’s on a feeding tube?" she added.
Birdsong and Lander previously shared an apartment in Los Angeles before she was shifted to a skilled nursing facility by Los Angeles police at the request of her family in 2021. During the encounter, the caretaker reportedly told police that Birdsong "had a complete mental break" and "no one would help her."
Family claims Birdsong is 'totally incapacitated'
The family claims after suffering several strokes, Birdsong is "totally incapacitated." A review of her condition filed by the nursing facility as part of the conservatorship application claims that the singer is "unable to get out of bed or communicate." "It has been an open secret among the Motown family, the tragedy of Cindy," Herman told the outlet. A hearing has been scheduled for next month.
Who is Rochelle Lander?
Rochelle Lander has served as a longtime caretaker for Cindy Birdsong and was given power of attorney by the singer herself over a decade ago. Lander is now blamed for “isolating” the singer from her friends and family in an effort to control her health and finances. Cindy's brother has claimed that Lander has been keeping them “in the blind” about her worsening health, despite the two women having lived together for six years.
