posted 06-23-2018 04:15 PM               

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin sues over control of his estate, space artifacts

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin has filed a lawsuit against two of his children, his former manager and family foundation, alleging fraud and seeking to regain control over his estate, including his space memorabilia and artifacts, as well as "all elements of the Buzz Aldrin brand."

Aldrin, 88, filed the lawsuit on June 7 in the 18th Circuit Court of Brevard County, Florida, to demand the removal of his son, Andrew, from serving as the trustee of his estate and power of attorney. Further, Aldrin wants his son, his daughter, Jan, and long-time personal manager (and "Mission Control Director") Christina Korp to cease representing his interests, including the Buzz Aldrin Space Foundation, also known as the ShareSpace Foundation, and Florida Institute of Technology's Aldrin Space Institute in Melbourne.

posted 06-25-2018 07:23 AM               

Buzz Aldrin has walked on the moon and received the Distinguished Flying Cross in the Korean War and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. At 88, the former astronaut has visited the White House to discuss space exploration, and envisions humans living on Mars.

His legacy in space is secure. On earth it’s another matter.

posted 06-25-2018 03:29 PM               

Personal Statement from Christina Korp

After the article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, I must respond. I have tried to stay out of the fray so as not to create any mixed signals while the Aldrin family and I try to protect and maintain Buzz Aldrin's reputation, legacy and ability to sustain himself in the future in this difficult situation. However, I cannot stand by while there are unwarranted personal attacks on my integrity, honesty, professionalism and character. I am being unfairly defamed by the managers of the newly formed Buzz Aldrin Ventures and its legal counsel. I encourage those that know me to research the background of these individuals. I also encourage media to be careful what they write and make sure the facts are correct. There are too many inaccuracies in the public arena at the moment to respond on an individual basis. Please know that I am devastated by these lies and shocked that reputable publications like the Journal would run a story like the one just published without fairly seeking both sides of the story. With legal action now pending, I hope you understand my need to be cautious. This same level of caution is not being followed by the people currently surrounding Buzz who are sharing misinformation and unfounded accusations about me and the Aldrin family. I intend to continue to take the professional route.

Unfortunately, almost a year ago, some people began to exert undue influence on Buzz. These individuals began to actively try to drive a wedge between Buzz and his children, and me, for what I fear is their own benefit. As many people have noted, there is a different tone with Buzz's Twitter account due to these individuals taking over control of that account. New companies were very recently started by this new team, under the guise of benefiting Buzz.

To provide some context to my relationship with Buzz and the various business entities in place to protect him, I worked for Buzz at his previous company StarBuzz beginning in 2008 and for 3 and a half years until June 2011. At that point, my role grew unexpectedly when my daughter was one week old, and Buzz began divorce proceedings. I helped Buzz pick up his life, and helped establish his new company, Buzz Aldrin Enterprises — all while trying to be the best mother possible to my newborn daughter. Buzz's mission to encourage space exploration became mine. Buzz became such part of my family that he referred to my children as his "mascots"; my son bears Buzz's name as my dedication to Dr. Aldrin's legacy. I have always recognized how important Buzz is to the world and have steadfastly served his interests and promoted his vision of space exploration to the best of my ability. Buzz Aldrin is important to the world, but he is also important to me and my family, which is why the false allegations being made against are me are so very hurtful.

I have never acted on Buzz's behalf without his full knowledge, support, and cooperation. I worked closely with his children Andy Aldrin and Jan Aldrin and our staff to ensure that all actions taken on Buzz's behalf were honorable and respectful. I have had to be the gate keeper to many people who have tried to take advantage of Buzz's good nature and insert themselves into his life for their own benefit. This in and of itself is a difficult job for someone so world famous, but I've tried my best for 10 years.

It is my deepest hope that Buzz, his children, and I will be able to work through some of these issues without a public spectacle. My mission has always been to serve Buzz's mission, the Foundation's mission, and the legacy of Buzz Aldrin through positive work. While I am a very active on social media, something like Buzz's competency is best handled through our justice system. I hope you understand that I will not engage in retaliatory mudslinging.

posted 06-26-2018 04:24 PM               

Statement by Andy Aldrin and Jan Aldrin

It has been our wish from the beginning, to avoid public discussion of our efforts to try to protect our father and his reputation from the debilitating effects of his worsening condition. We sought confidentiality through a motion with the court which held both parties responsible for maintaining confidentiality pending a formal judgement on the motion.

Legal counsel representing our father chose to defy the motion and make this effort part of a public spectacle designed to stir undue sympathy and support for the ridiculous lawsuit that they have brought on Dad's behalf.

We have refrained from discussing the lawsuit publicly other than to debunk specific aspects of it that could hinder the ongoing operation of the Foundation. The time has come to recognize where the elder exploitation is truly occurring and address the flawed foundation of the lawsuit.

Let it be clear that every one of these allegations are products of the increased confusion and memory loss that Dad has demonstrated in recent years. Every one of them can be easily refuted by witnesses, bank and corporate records and, if necessary, we will prove this in court. But the responsibility for this outrageous lawsuit rests with those would seek to leverage his condition for their own agenda.

Although Dad's current handlers want to spin this as "Buzz vs Family," that could not be farther from the truth. We will not attack our father on any basis, for any reason. We are committed to protecting him, his reputation and his legacy. Our work together on this foundation is testament to that. We will not allow opportunistic agents who see an opportunity to grab the spotlight break our family apart.

We dearly love and respect our father and want him to return to us so we can continue our mission together to advance his dreams and legacy within the space program today, and with generations of explorers to come.

posted 06-27-2018 11:06 AM               

"I really felt that it really didn't need to come to this," the Apollo astronaut said in an interview with Good Morning America on Tuesday. "It's the saddest thing that ever happened in my family. But as I've seen, family is forever and I will forever be trying to patch it up."

posted 06-29-2018 03:30 PM               

We have had to make decisions on care, treatment, safety and well-being on a daily basis. Most of these decisions are made based on their own "Living Will" and their own comments prior to becoming lost in their own minds. However, not every decision can be made this way and so we always act in what is in their best interest.

The problem lies within the disease... they truly believe their thoughts are well within reality, even if it is information from the imaginary friends who stop by all day long.

I feel deeply saddened to see so many of our elderly population suffering from life robbing mind diseases with no real positive outlook for the near future. I can also say with certainty that the family suffers right along with their elder loved ones who, without much guidance must maneuver through life "One Small Step" at a time.

posted 03-13-2019 02:51 PM               

Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin is pleased to confirm the guardianship proceedings and civil actions against his family members have been dismissed. Buzz appreciates all the support he has received during a difficult time from close friends, colleagues and fans. Buzz believes these dismissals are the right thing to do and will help restore family harmony, noting that, "This was the most charitable way to manage a difficult situation, as this year, which marks 50 years since we first step foot on the moon, is too important to my family, the nation and me. I'm looking forward to joining all my friends at the Apollo XI 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Saturday, July 13th to celebrate — it will be an event to remember! Onward!"

We are pleased to confirm that the legal proceedings for guardianship as well as civil actions have been dismissed by members of the Aldrin family. We truly appreciate the support we have received from so many and ask, again, for your understanding and respect as we continue to work through this as a family, in a private manner.