Bobby Vee’s Children Squabble in Court Over Handling of Estate

There’s no harmony among the heirs of 1960s teen idol Bobby Vee, whose four children are squabbling in a MInnesota court about how money from his estate is being spent. Two of the siblings filed a lawsuit against the other two, who have countersued.

Known for Top 40 hits like “Devil Or Angel,” “Take Good Care Of My Baby” and “The Night Has A Thousand Eyes,” Vee died of advanced Alzheimer’s disease in October 2016. He was 73.

In a lawsuit filed in Stearns County District Court, two of the siblings, Robby Velline and Jennifer Whittet Velline, accused the other two, Tommy Velline and Jeff Velline, of using money from the estate to support the Rockhouse Production recording studio established by Vee and the siblings’ mother, Karen. She died in 2015.

In their countersuit, Tommy and Jeff Velline say they’re following the direction of their parents, The St. Cloud Times reported.

The lawsuit mainly centers around revenue from the play “Teen Idol: The Bobby Vee Story,” which traces 15-year-old Bobby Velline’s rise to stardom after he was quickly added to the bill at the Winter Dance Party in Moorhead, Minnesota, following the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash en route from Clear Lake, Iowa, to Moorhead on Feb. 3, 1959.

Production of the play wasn’t harmonious either. According to the lawsuit, Karen Velline was opposed to the production of the play, but would allow it to go forward if all four children could come to agreement. Robby disagreed, but Tommy and Jeff went ahead with it, collaborating with playwright Bob Beverage.

» For more on this, go to the St. Cloud Times.

Photo of Bobby Vee in 1962 by Harry Pot / Anefo (Nationaal Archief) via Wikimedia Commons