The BBC reports that only 30% of people in the UK have a will. As a result, the Treasury collects millions every year from these individuals’ estates (£53 million in 2010 and £76 million in 2009). Interestingly, some notable and affluent personalities have sadly passed away intestate, without a will:
Amy Winehouse
(Source: http://www.jugrnaut.com/)
British artist Amy Winehouse tragically departed in 2011 at the age of 27 due to accidental alcohol poisoning. She didn’t leave a will for her $4.66 million estate, which her parents, Mitch and Janis, subsequently inherited. Her parents have since created The Amy Winehouse Foundation, aiming to support disadvantaged children via music therapy, education, and drug and alcohol misuse prevention.
Jimi Hendrix
Singer-songwriter Jimi Hendrix died at age 32 in 1970. His estate, for lack of a valid will, was disputed for years posthumously. Initially, it was passed on to his father, Al Hendrix, but the contention did not stop even after his demise in 2002. The core of the discord was the question: who really held the rights to Hendrix’s musical legacy?
Martin Luther King
(Source: http://www.newnownext.com)
Since his assassination in 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s estate has been a bone of contention among his descendants. Even faced with lethal threats as a civil rights advocate, he did not draft a will. Most recently, a feud over the rightful custodianship of his Nobel Peace Prize medal and bible has emerged among his children.
Bob Marley
Reggae legend Bob Marley, despite battling cancer and having six children by multiple partners and wealth to the tune of $30 million, never composed a will. This lack of estate planning has resulted in long-standing disputes and legal battles over his still-profitable posthumous earnings since his death in 1981.
Pablo Picasso
Picasso, too, departed without leaving a testament. After his death in 1973, his estate took six years to divide, including artworks, five houses, and a total estimated value of $30 million in cash, gold, and bonds among six heirs.
