Wills of the Rich and Famous
There has been a lot in the press recently regarding the estates of the famous and the near-famous. Arguably, too much time has been spent by the media covering the estate issues surrounding the passing of Anna Nicole Smith and the estate implications, Similarly, the estate of James Brown has attracted a lot of media attention.
Presumably, the media is just giving their readers what they want. The public has a prurient interest in the lives (and deaths) of celebrities.
The Internet definitely panders to this interest. From an estate point of view, those who are interested in this sort of thing are able to find a wealth of information regarding the estates of the rich and famous.
For example, on the Smoking Gun website , one can find the last will and testament of Katherine Hepburn, John F. Kennedy Jr., Bob Hope, and Marilyn Munroe, amongst others. At Celebrity Collectables, surfers can purchase the wills of hundreds of celebrities. Often, other probate-related documents are available, including asset inventories, death certificates and funeral particulars. Links to may wills can be found at Taxprof Blog. It appears that there is no rest for the famous, or respite from the prying eyes of a celebrity-crazed public.
Paul Trudelle
