Bette Davis was one of Hollywood's "golden age" heroes. Her uncompromising intense style and determination to be known as more than just another "pretty" actress is more than an inspiration to many. Her success, however, came at the cost of her personal relationships with her partners and children.
When Marvin Gaye died he left behind an incredible catalog of the music he had created, but also a mountain of debt he owed and back taxes as well. To further complicate matters, the Motown star and soul icon died without a will leaving his family without clear instruction on how his estate should be administrated, and a puzzle as to how to pay his debts.
Chris Cornell died in March 2017. He had his estate planning documents in order, but that did not avoid several legal filings against the estate. And four years after his death, there are still multiple disputes with the estate pending.
Not every estate dispute is about money. When Mickey Rooney died, he disinherited all but one of his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and his wife. There were no great sums of money to feud over, so why did his family fight at all?
In June, Professor Stephen Hawking’s estate struck a deal with the University Library in Cambridge and the Science Museum to receive some of his possessions in lieu of inheritance tax. Acquired items included his wheelchair, a pair of his glasses, scientific bets signed with a thumbprint, papers on theoretical physics and even his scripts from The Simpsons. How did this donation benefit the estate?
If there was a villain to be played in a movie, chances are they were more than likely played by Christopher Lee. From terrifying audiences as "Count Dracula" in the old Hammer Horror movies, to “Saruman” in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, to Bond villain “Francisco Scaramanga” in The Man with the Golden Gun, he carved out a career that would last decades. Yet the illustrious actor's estate had a net worth of "nil" noted on documentation presented for probate. How could this be?
Joan Crawford was one of Hollywood’s most iconic and interesting leading ladies. Joan lived a full life of family, scandals, rumors, and extravagance. After she died in 1977 it was discovered that she left an inheritance to two of her adoptive children, while disinheriting the other two.
Burt Reynolds died on September 6, 2018, at the age of 82 after reportedly suffering from a heart attack. He left behind a son, Quinton, and an estate worth around $3 million. One sentence in Reynolds's will create quite a commotion in the press; “I intentionally omit him (Quinton Reynolds) from this, my Last Will and Testament, as I have provided for him during my lifetime in my Declaration of Trust.” Was why Quinton disinherited?
Elizabeth Taylor structured her will as a revocable living trust, offering her and her beneficiaries privacy. This move prevented the details of her estate plan from becoming available to the public. However, this did not stop some of the details from seeping out.
Bob Marley did not create a will, believing that such a document showed an inappropriate concern with earthly matters. He died at the age of 36, May 11th, 1981. The legal battles over his estate lasted for four decades.
