Nun At Centre Of Katy Perry Property Dispute Collapses And Dies In Court

Sister Catherine Rose Holzman had urged the singer to end the legal dispute.
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A nun at the centre of a property dispute with Katy Perry has collapsed and died in court, according to reports.

Sister Catherine Rose Holzman, who was 89, died during a hearing into the case on Friday.

She was one of two nuns locked in a legal battle with the star and the Los Angeles Archdiocese over a former convent in the city.

Sister Catherine (right) and Sister Rita
Sister Catherine (right) and Sister Rita
Fox

The ‘I Kissed A Girl’ singer agreed to buy the property for $14.5m (£10.4m) in 2015, but the deal turned sour when the former residents objected.

Sister Catherine Rose and Sister Rita Callanan said they were uncomfortable handing the convent over to the singer.

Katy even visited them in a bid to win them over, but the nuns were unconvinced, despite the US star singing a hymn to them.

“I found her videos,” Sister Rita Callanan told the Los Angeles Times. “I wasn’t happy with any of it.”

The nuns instead sold the residence to local restaurant owner Dana Hollister, without the approval of their Archdiocese.

This led to Katy and the Catholic Church being awarded almost $10m in damages in 2017, when their lawyers successfully argued that the sisters had no right to sell the property.

Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Randy Holmes via Getty Images

A few hours before her death Sister Catherine spoke to Fox 7 News and urged Katy to pull out of the legal battle.

“To Katy Perry, please stop. It’s not doing anyone any good except hurting a lot of people,” the late nun warned.

The post-judgement proceedings have been put on hold following the nun’s death.

In a statement on Friday, Archbishop Gomez said: “Sister Catherine Rose served the Church with dedication and love for many years, and today we remember her life with gratitude.”

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