RIVERSIDE, California (AP) — A Southern California judge has ruled that Etta James' husband may use $60,000 of the ailing R&B singer's savings to pay for her medical care.


Riverside County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cahraman said at a hearing that the money should last until Feb. 24, when Artis Mills is expected back in court to continue seeking control of more than $1 million of James' money.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise said Mills is challenging the legitimacy of a claim by James' son, Donto James, that his mother gave him power of attorney in 2008.

Court documents show the 72-year-old singer of At Last and other standards lives in the Woodcrest area of Riverside County, has been diagnosed with dementia and is undergoing treatment for leukemia.