The estranged wife of the late The Voice singer Ryan Whyte Maloney demanded control of his estate despite being in the middle of a divorce when he died, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Ryan’s widow, Christina Panks, filed an emergency motion to be appointed special administrator of her estranged husband’s estate.
Christina said she needs to be appointed to “determine what assets [Ryan] owned at the time of his death, to access business records and verify business accounts, and to access [Ryan’s] residence and retrieve personal belongings.”
Christina told the court she was in the middle of a divorce with Ryan when he took his life on January 28 at the age of 44 in Las Vegas, but the case was not finalized. In her filing, she said she had four minor children with Ryan, ranging from 7 to 16.
In addition, Christina noted that Ryan owned a company called Trunorth Entertainment LLC.
She asked for permission to access business records and verify business accounts, “as [she] believes there may be outstanding business operations that need to be handled in the interim and [Ryan’s] membership interest is an estate asset.”
A judge has yet to rule on Christina’s petition.
In Touch obtained the divorce filing that Ryan filed on June 11, 2024. He listed the date of marriage as October 31, 2008.
His petition noted, “The likes, tastes, and dispositions of each spouse have become so disparate that the parties can no longer maintain this marriage, nor is there any hope for reconciliation of the parties.”
Ryan asked for joint legal custody and primary physical custody of their kids. The singer also asked for his ex to pay him child and spousal support.
He told the court there was no community property. Christina fired back at Ryan’s petition in September 2024. She demanded primary custody but agreed with joint legal custody. She also asked for support to be awarded to her.
In December 2024, the exes submitted a parenting plan where they agreed to joint custody and a regular schedule.
The other issues of support had yet to be resolved.
Last month, the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner revealed Ryan’s cause of death as a gunshot wound to the head.
The night before Ryan died, the singer posted a video of himself seemingly at a bar on Instagram. In the clip, the entertainer said, “Nine fine Irishmen for a private party tonight, and we will be rocking.”
TMZ obtained the police report for Ryan’s death that revealed he had an argument with his fiancée Zane before he took his life.
The police report said Ryan was drunk when he got into an argument with his fiancée after leaving a hotel in Las Vegas.
His fiancée claimed Ryan became upset when she asked him if he had her jacket. His fiancée said Ryan took a gun out of his car’s glove compartment and then exited the car.
The fiancée told police she yelled for Ryan to come back. The report said Ryan’s partner heard two gunshots, and after the second gunshot, she saw Ryan fall to the ground.
The fiancée called the police who pronounced the singer dead at the scene. Earlier this week, Ryan’s fiancée spoke to TMZ about the singer’s final hours. She said Ryan was fighting with his ex-wife over custody of their kids.
Zane said Ryan had been working on his mental health issues before his death. Zane claimed the police misunderstood her and denied there was an argument over the jacket. She claimed that her words were taken out of context. Ryan appeared on season six of The Voice in 2014. He was selected by judge Blake Shelton to be on his team and ended up in the top 5.
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