You may not have thought about it before, but have you ever thought how messy it could get when a famous musician dies without a will? Who gets the money, who owns the rights to the songs, who gets to keep their collection of rare baseball trading cards? The list goes on! Well the will professionals over at Saga Legal do and have decided to share some rock and roll stories about what has happened when some of musics greats haven’t got it sorted!
Jimi Hendrix
When Hendrix picked up his first guitar aged just 13, no one could have envisaged the impact he would have on the world of music. Although he released just three albums in his lifetime, Hendrix is referred to as “arguably the instrumentalist in the history of rock music” by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At 27 years of age, Hendrix died without a will, leaving his fortune amidst a messy court case.
Jimi’s father battled for the rights of Jimi’s music, which he eventually won in 1995, but for the 20 years prior his estate was left in the hands of a California attorney. His father, named Al, then went about creating multiple corporations under the name of the estate, but in 2004, two years after Al’s death and massive 34 years after Jimi’s, his estate was still in court.
The $80 million fortune was handed almost entirely to Al’s adopted daughter Janie, but there has since been interferences from other family members.
This extra confusion, grief and stress could have been avoided if Hendrix had signed a will, though his death was unexpected and he was at a very young age. Fans will continue to make sure this legal battle does not cloud the musician’s legacy.
Bob Marley
Another superstar musician whose death was followed by legal battles, was Reggae legend Bob Marley. The Rastafarian’s faith was the reasoning behind his decision to not sign a will, as, despite the fact he had cancer spreading through his body, he did not believe in death.
Although he didn’t sign a will, he was supposedly told by his attorney that his estate would be in safe hands, though this proved not to be the case.
When Marley passed in 1981, his estate was split between his widow and his 11 children, by Jamaican law, but there were more twists to the legal tale. They were told that they had no rights to Marley’s name, though were successful in suing the estate and were rewarded millions.
A number of court cases later, it is thought that his music catalogue alone is worth in excess of $100 million, which adds to a very wealthy empire. That could have been a lot, lot more if a will was signed, subsequently cutting costs of legal fees.
