The Cost of Dying Without a Will

Arethra Franklin, Prince and Bob Marley – what do they all have in common? They all died without a will.

The only thing in life that is certain is that we will all die, so why are more and more people dying without making a will?

Arethra Franklin, who left us in 2018 was one of many wealthy stars to die intestate (meaning to not have a will before they die). This left her four sons in the position of having to list themselves as a potential beneficiary to her fortune, find out how much she was worth and then divide it up. (Franklin’s estate totalled an estimated $80 million) Fortunately the process seems to have run smoothly with no conflict but as we all know, when it comes to inheritance, emotions can run high and people can emerge from the woodwork for their share of the fortune.

Pop singer Prince also died without a will. His sudden death caused an emergence of people claiming to be connected to the Singer by marriage, birth or even as a distant relative. A lengthy and costly legal battle ensued eventually confirming that his 6 siblings were all to inherit a share of his $200 million.

Bob Marley’s death in 1981 created a 30 year long court battle as he too had no will which meant his heirs were all free to fight for their slice of the fortune.

Processes like this can take years to resolve, causing family rifts that add to and prolong the grieving process. In most cases, the deceased understood and appreciated the importance of making a will – but just never got around to it.

At Simple Will we make the will writing process just that – Simple! Our friendly and experienced team will guide you through the process and be with you every step of the way so don’t delay!