Author Archives: Deborah de Bakker

John Lennon’s Story When former Beatle John Lennon was murdered in 1980, he left an estate reported to be worth over $276 million. He also left a clear, detailed will, naming his widow, Yoko Ono, and his accountant as his executors. The main beneficiaries were Yoko Ono and their son Sean. But John had another […]

David Sedaris’s story Award-winning author David Sedaris grew up as one of six children. In a recent essay in the New Yorker, he tells about flying home to see his dying father. David writes: “All he’s ever cared about is money, so it had hurt me to learn, a few years earlier, that he’d cut me out of his will. Had he talked it […]

Frankie Lymon’s Story Boy soprano Frankie Lymon was only thirteen years old in 1956 when he and his group The Teenagers recorded their massive hit “Why Do Fools Fall in Love,” a song Frankie had co-written.  Heady with success, Frankie decided to attempt a solo career, but he could never duplicate his initial triumph. In […]

Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s Story Philip Seymour Hoffman was a widely admired actor, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Truman Capote in a 2005 biopic. Sadly, his career was cut short when he died in 2014 at age 46 following an overdose. He left behind his common law partner Mimi […]

Stieg Larsson’s Story Stieg Larsson was the author of the Millennium trilogy, a series of bestselling crime novels that began with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” His novels have sold about 55 million copies worldwide and were made into a hit movie. From the age of 18, Stieg lived with Eva Gabrielsson, but they never […]

Oprah Winfrey’s Story Media mogul Oprah is well known as a dog lover. She calls her dogs her “fur children,” and they often appear with her in photoshoots. One of the wealthiest women in the world, Oprah reportedly has set aside $30 million in a trust to look after her pooches after she dies. Lawyer’s comment:  Many […]

Robin Williams’s Story Actor and comedian Robin Williams was caught up in several lawsuits during his life, so he wanted to make sure his estate plan was secure. This was tricky, because he was married to Susan, his third wife, and also had adult children from his first and second marriages. He tried to come up with a plan […]

Janis Joplin’s Story Beloved rock and blues singer Janis Joplin of a drug overdose at the age of 27 in 1970. In her will, which she had revised just two days before her death, she left $2,500 to pay for an all-night celebration of her life at her favourite pub in San Anselmo, California, “so my friends can get blasted after I’m gone.” Lawyer’s Comment: Including in your will […]

Ted Williams’s Story Baseball Hall of Famer Ted Williams left instructions in his will that he wished to be cremated. However, when he died in 2002, his two children from a second marriage produced a note saying he wished to have his body cryogenically frozen, in the hope of being revived at a later date. This […]

Fred Baur’s Story Some people get quite inventive about what is to be done with their bodies. Fred Baur, the founder of Pringles potato chips, wanted his body cremated and the ashes buried in a Pringles can. His family complied with the request, deciding on a red regular-flavour can. The ashes didn’t quite fit, so the […]