Gladys Knight's Son Claims Her Husband Plans To Work Her To Death

Gladys Knight's son is worried her husband is going to push her so hard to keep working that it will kill her.

Shanga Hankerson told The Detroit News that William McDowell -- the R&B legend's husband and manager -- is working her too hard. The alarming comment comes after his mother announced last month she'd be cutting back on her live performances amid concerns from her fans and people on tour.

Gladys has played multiple shows recently, and her son says of her husband, "He never intended to stop any tour dates, as you can see for yourself."

Shanga then dropped the hammer ... "My belief and fear is that he intends to literally try to work her until she passes away. And you can quote me on that."

Her son claims his 82-year-old mother is being exploited by her husband and is a victim of elder abuse.

Gladys announced she was scaling things back after looking totally out of it for several shows.

McDowell previously told TMZ her September 5 show in Tulsa would determine whether or not they pull the plug on more performances ... but noted that Gladys was the one who wanted to continue performing.

According to The Detroit News, one concertgoer wrote on social media that she allegedly ended early that night.

But Gladys has since performed in Terre Haute, Cincinnati, and Shipshewana, Indiana.

Her son believes McDowell never intended to ease up on Gladys' touring, saying ... "The fact Mr. McDowell would even make a statement that further evaluation is necessary to stop my mother from working at this point, considering all of the blatant visual evidence the public is now seeing, should tell you everything you need to know about him and his motives."

Gladys released a statement on Monday reading, "After heartfelt discussions with my team, I recognize that no matter how much I love lifting spirits in song, it's time for the midnight train to make just a few more stops," she said. "I'm finishing the year strong with my remaining performances. Looking forward to new ventures next year."