Katy Perry tried to buy a convent. It ended with lawsuits, bankruptcy and a dead nun

Long before Katy Perry became one of the best-selling pop stars of her generation, an eight-acre estate was built in Los Angeles that would eventually drag her into a legal battle involving elderly nuns, a restaurateur, the Catholic Church, the Vatican, millions of dollars and, ultimately, a death in court. The house was built in 1927 on Waverly Drive in the Los Feliz neighborhood for Earl C. Anthony, who had made his fortune through radio stations and car dealerships. Architect Bernard Maybeck and interior designer Harold Grieve created a sprawling estate with more than 30,000 square feet of living space, because apparently that was how successful car dealers lived in the 1920s. In the 1950s, the estate was sold to Daniel and Bernadine Donahue. After Bernadine died in 1968, Daniel sold the property for $600,000 to the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.