I was left high and dry when they fell out. In the end, I sued them for breach of contract and won $5m.
It took 10 years for everyone to start talking to everyone else and then we collaborated all over again.
But worse was to come?
That’s right. In 2013, I had to file for bankruptcy. Unbeknown to me, my financial advisers were lining their own pockets.
I don’t know what money does to people but I discovered down the years that anyone who had access to my money for some reason felt it was theirs.
I ended up owing $7m to the Internal Revenue Service and a further $3m in unpaid taxes to the state of California. Well, I didn’t have that sort of money lying around so the best course of action was to declare myself bankrupt.
How did that make you feel?
I was very angry. These people were meant to be my friends but they didn’t have Dionne’s best interests at heart; they had their own. They took advantage of me.
It took me some time to find financial advisers on whom I could absolutely rely. But I did and now they’ve almost become family.
Was it hard to rebuild?
Well, it wasn’t easy but you know what they say: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. And I’m a survivor, always have been. But I can’t say I went on with my career to build up my bank balance. I’m a performer and I like to perform.
I also see this as God’s destiny for me. His gift was my voice and I’ll carry on using it until I can’t hit those notes anymore.
What properties have you owned down the years?
I was born and raised in New Jersey but, when I was performing regularly in Las Vegas, I bought a house there. Then, when I moved to Los Angeles, I acquired another house. But I’m not one of those people who wants to own a string of properties.
You can only sleep in one bed at a time. Now, I’ve moved back to the East Coast. I live in a house I bought a dozen years ago and its value has doubled in price during that time.
I’m very comfortable; I can’t complain. In the end, I’ll hand it over to my sons when I relocate to Brazil, my favourite place in the whole world.
What song has made you the most money?
I can’t answer that. I’ve been blessed to have had a string of successful recordings – Don’t Make Me Over, Anyone Who Had A Heart, Always Something There To Remind Me, Do You Know The Way To San Jose? and so on – and they’ve all been good to me.
I couldn’t single out just one of them.
Do your advisers put any restrictions on your spending?
They keep me on a very tight leash. That’s been good for me. It also tells me that they care about me. They keep me informed as to exactly how much money I have in my bank account.
I don’t mind people knowing the arrangement: Dionne Warwick lives on a monthly allowance and she’s not allowed to exceed it. And she ain’t complaining.
Dionne Warwick’s Don’t Make Me Over tour begins tonight at The Glasshouse in Gateshead. Tickets available from tickemaster.co.uk
