Ray Charles had 12 children. Some fought for the spotlight. Some fought over his estate. And then there was Charles Wayne Hendricks, who did neither. He kept his head down, built a life in Colorado, and died in 2013 without ever chasing his father’s fame. That choice says a lot about who he was, and about the complicated circumstances he was born into.
This is everything we know about Charles Wayne Hendricks, including facts that are confirmed and a few that remain genuinely unknown.
Who Was Charles Wayne Hendricks?
Charles Wayne Hendricks was born on October 1, 1959, the son of Ray Charles and his backup singer Margie Hendrix. His birth date comes from Ray Charles’ revised biography, Ray Charles: Man and Music, Updated Commemorative Edition by Michael Lydon, though it’s worth flagging that a Taylor Mortuary obituary gives an alternate birth date of October 19, 1949, meaning some sources place him as older than most accounts suggest.
He was born in Harlem, New York, at a time when his father was becoming a huge star. Despite that famous family name, Charles lived nothing like a typical celebrity child. Ray Charles was always busy with tours and music, though he made sure to support his son financially and take care of his needs.
Charles Wayne Hendricks led a private life away from the public eye. He was thrust into the limelight only when he and his half-siblings won a lawsuit against song rights termination in 2013.
His Parents: Ray Charles and Margie Hendrix
To understand Charles Wayne Hendricks, you have to understand his parents, because their story is one of the most dramatic in American music history.
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson was already a music legend when Charles was born. He is considered one of the most influential singers to ever live, known as “The Genius” by fans or “Brother Ray” by friends and musicians. Blinded as a child, potentially from glaucoma, he pioneered the genre of soul music in the 1950s while working under Atlantic Records, combining gospel, blues, and jazz.
He was also not a faithful husband. He had children with multiple women throughout his life, and Charles Wayne was one of those.
Margie Hendrix
Marjorie Hendrix (sometimes spelled “Hendricks”), born March 13, 1935, was an American rhythm and blues singer and founding member of the Raelettes, the backing singers for Ray Charles.
In 1958, Hendrix and Darlene McCrea left the Cookies and later formed the Raelettes as Charles’s backing singers. In October 1958, Charles recorded his first song with the Raelettes, “Night Time Is the Right Time,” which reached No. 5 on the R&B charts. That song made Hendrix’s voice famous before most people knew her name.
Ray Charles himself had no hesitation rating her talent. He said about her: “Aretha, Gladys, Etta James, these gals are all bad, but on any given night, Margie will scare you to death.”
The affair between the two began almost immediately. There was a mutual attraction between Hendrix and Charles as they started to spend more time with each other and soon they began an affair while Charles was still married. Ray was wed to Della Beatrice Howard Robinson at the time.
Hendrix eventually became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Charles Wayne Hendrix, on October 1, 1959, in New York City. After she gave birth, she tried to convince Charles to leave his wife and live with her and their son, but Charles refused.
What followed was a slow unraveling. During the early 1960s, Hendrix’s relationship with Charles began to fall apart and she later started to use alcohol and heroin, and her career began to suffer. Her drug use started to affect her appearance and behavior with the Raelettes; she picked fights during recording sessions, didn’t show up to performances, and showed up to performances while intoxicated.
In July 1964, during a tour in Europe, Hendrix and Charles got into an argument, and Hendrix revealed to him that she had been secretly having an affair with one of his trumpet players, and Charles officially fired Hendrix from the Raelettes and sent her back to the United States.
Her solo career stalled completely. In 1971, she became mentally unstable, faded away from the public eye, quit singing, and continued to use drugs and alcohol for the remainder of her life.
Hendrix died in New York City on July 14, 1973. The official cause of her death is unknown due to lack of evidence and no autopsy. Most sources say her death was caused by a heroin overdose, but there are rumors she died in a car crash or from cancer. She was 38 years old.
Her role in Ray Charles’ story was later brought to wider audiences when Margie was portrayed by Regina King in the 2004 film Ray. King won an NAACP Image Award for the performance.
Growing Up Without His Mother
Charles Wayne was only 14 when his mother died. After her death, Charles was raised by his relatives. Sources differ slightly on whether Ray Charles took him in directly. Upon his mother’s death, Charles Wayne Hendricks was raised by his father, Ray Charles, according to Legit.ng, while other accounts say he went to extended family members. What’s consistent across sources is that very little is documented about this period of his life.
Ray Charles, for his part, did provide financially for Charles. And according to Michael Lydon’s biography, Charles stayed private in a way that even the cast of the Ray biopic noticed. Actress Regina King revealed that she was unaware if the crew members managed to get in touch with Hendricks, adding that if they did, he did not want to be a part of it.
That tells you almost everything you need to know about the man.
Charles Wayne Hendricks’ Wife and Children
Despite his private nature, Charles Wayne Hendricks did build a family of his own. He was the husband of Marlene Hendricks of Aurora, Colorado. His children include Joel Spiller Jr. of Kentucky, Jeremy (Melony) Casner of Kiowa, CO., Nick (Carlye) Casner of Antioch, TN., Antoinette Hendricks of Denver, CO., Charli Hendricks of Denver, CO., Danielle Casner of Westminster, CO., and Jacqueline Spiller of Denver, CO.
Three more children from Marlene’s previous relationships joined the blended family: Steven Barker, Anthony Barker, and Freddie Haynes.
That gives you a picture of a man who settled into domestic life in Colorado, far from Hollywood or any music industry connection. He raised a big family and kept his story off the record.
His Half-Siblings and the Ray Charles Estate
Charles Wayne Hendricks was one of Ray Charles’ twelve children and had eleven half-siblings. Those siblings include Evelyn, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David, Robert, Renee, Sheila, Reatha Butler, Alexandra Bertrand, Vincent Kotchounian, Robyn Moffett, and Ryan Corey Robinson den Bok.
After Ray Charles died on June 10, 2004, from liver failure, his estate became the subject of significant legal battles. Towards the end of his life, Ray Charles brought together 10 of his children and assured them that each of them would receive $500,000 after he died, paid out over five years. Not exactly a fortune given what Ray Charles was worth, and the vague terms caused real confusion among his children.
After their father’s death in 2004, Charles and his siblings won a lawsuit stopping the termination of Ray Charles’ song rights in 2013. He and his siblings each received trusts worth $500,000.
Charles Wayne Hendricks’ interest in or participation in the broader estate dispute is not clearly documented.
How Did Charles Wayne Hendricks Die?
Charles Wayne Hendricks died in 2013. Unfortunately, the details surrounding his death have remained under wraps.
His official obituary, filed through Taylor Funeral and Cremation Services in Aurora, Colorado, confirms his death on May 7, 2013. He died at the age of 53, although the exact cause of his death remains unknown. The discrepancy in his birth year (1959 vs. 1949 depending on the source) means some outlets have listed him as dying at 53 and others at approximately 63.
There is no record of any public statement from the family about what happened. That discretion was fully in keeping with how Charles Wayne Hendricks lived his entire life.
Why Charles Wayne Hendricks Chose Privacy
The simplest explanation is also probably the most accurate: he saw what fame did to his mother, and he wanted none of it.
Margie Hendrix was a generationally gifted vocalist, celebrated by Ray Charles himself as someone who could outperform Aretha Franklin and Etta James on any given night. And her life still ended in poverty, addiction, and anonymity. She died nearly penniless and without a completed autopsy, her story largely forgotten until the 2004 film Ray put her back in the conversation.
Charles Wayne grew up watching that trajectory from a child’s perspective. He lost his mother at 14, was raised either by Ray or by relatives depending on which account you trust, and apparently decided the best version of his life looked nothing like either of his parents’ stories.
He moved to Aurora, Colorado. He married. He raised seven children plus three stepchildren. He stayed out of the press. By any ordinary measure, that is a life well constructed.
FAQs About Charles Wayne Hendricks
Who were Charles Wayne Hendricks’ parents?
His father was Ray Charles, the legendary soul and jazz musician. His mother was Margie Hendrix, a founding member of the Raelettes, Ray Charles’ backing vocal group.
Did Charles Wayne Hendricks have a career in music?
No. Unlike both of his parents, he never pursued a career in the music industry and stayed entirely out of public life.
When did Charles Wayne Hendricks die?
He died on May 7, 2013. His cause of death has never been publicly disclosed.
Did Charles Wayne Hendricks have children?
Yes, seven biological children with his wife Marlene Hendricks of Aurora, Colorado, plus three stepchildren from Marlene’s prior relationships.
Was Charles Wayne Hendricks involved in the Ray Charles estate lawsuit?
He was one of the children involved in the 2013 lawsuit that successfully stopped the termination of Ray Charles’ song rights. He and his siblings each received trusts of $500,000.
What is the name discrepancy around his birth date?
Ray Charles’ biography gives his birth date as October 1, 1959, while the Taylor Mortuary obituary lists October 19, 1949. Most sources use 1959.
Charles Wayne Hendricks never asked for attention, and he never got much of it. Born to two of the most vivid figures in early soul music, he chose a deliberately quiet exit from that story. Whether that reads as healthy self-awareness or a sadder kind of disappearance depends on your perspective, but there’s something worth respecting about a man who knew exactly what kind of life he wanted and lived it without fanfare.
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