Tyrese Gibson Claims Rights To Teddy Pendergrass’ Biopic, Sues Legendary Singer’s Widow

Fresh from suing Home Depot over alleged racial discrimination, Tyrese Gibson went to social media to announce this his production company, Voltron Entertainment, is suing Joan Pendergrass, the widow of R&B legend Teddy Pendergrass, over the rights to late singer’s biopic.

In documents obtained by TMZ, Tyrese claims that his company secured the exclusive rights to Teddy Pendergrass’s life story back 2011, with Joan’s approval. The agreement involved Voltron’s investment in the biopic and using Tyrese’s celebrity status for promotion.

According to the lawsuit, Tyrese and Voltron have invested approximately $450,000 in the project, TMZ reported.

But things took a turn in 2022 when Joan allegedly changed her mind and refused to extend the option for the rights to Teddy’s life story. Tyrese contends that this sudden decision resulted in financial harm to Voltron. So now he’s suing Joan, both in her individual capacity and as the executor of Teddy’s estate, seeking damages of at least $1 million.

In an emotional Instagram post, Tyrese shared that Teddy Pendergrass had chosen him for the role. He emphasized his determination to honor both Teddy and Tyree’s mother, a devoted Teddy Pendergrass fan, by ensuring the movie’s realization.

Tyrese says Joan agreed to give him the rights to a book and movie about Teddy in exchange for Tyrese’s company agreeing to invest in the projects and use his celeb status to promote them and Teddy’s legacy.

Pendergrass first came to fame in the early 1970s as the lead singer of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, and became a super success as an R&B solo artist with five consecutive platinum albums. He suffered a spinal cord injury that left him a quadriplegic after a 1982 accident. He had to learn how to sing again and even returned to giving live performances.

Pendergrass continued his solo career until his retirement in 2007. He died of cancer in 2010.

Gibson announced he would produce the biopic with his Voltron Pictures with Empire co-creator and executive producer Lee Daniels and Donald De Line through De Line Pictures. Warner Bros. has hired Little Marvin (creator of Amazon’s upcoming Them) to write the screenplay. Joan Pendergrass, was to have been an executive producer.

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