These 7 famous people all died without a will

Unfortunately, some stars pass without a will, leaving big questions about who will manage the estate. It often leads to bitter court battles within their families, some of which last for years.

Find out which stars passed without a will…

1. Amy Winehouse

To follow Amy WinehouseIn 2011, it was discovered that he had died without a will, leaving an estate of approximately $4.66 million. Since there were no documents regarding his desire to distribute his property, everything went to his parents, Mitch and Janis Winehouse, according to USA Today.

Meanwhile, nothing was awarded to her ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil, whom she divorced in 2009. In 2019, she tried to make a legal claim for $1.4 million in the estate of at home but it seems he is not successful.

2. Jimi Hendrix

A famous singer Jimi Hendrix he was only 27 when he died in 1970, leaving no will. His estate was passed to his father Al but when he died in 2002, years of legal battles over the administration of the estate began. Al had transferred control to Jimi’s adopted sister Janie – which was disputed by Jimi’s brother Leon, according to CNN.

During a court battle in 2004, Leon and seven of the 11 beneficiaries of Al’s estate argued that Janie had never known Jimi because she was just a little girl. when he died. Leon also said that Janie convinced their father Al to write her will and that he had not mismanaged the estate. In the end, the judge decided that Janie would remain in control of the property but would need to distribute the money to other trustees, according to the New York Times.

Years later, a judge granted Leon the right to use Jimi’s likeness and image. On the other hand, there have been many other court battles between Jimi’s family regarding his property.

3. Kurt Cobain

When Kurt Cobain he died in 1994, he did not have a valid will. Finally, his inheritance was left to his wife, Courtney Love, which included publishing rights to almost all of Nirvana’s catalog. Hope was also established for his daughter Frances Bean, who was only one year old when her father died.

Courtney remained in control of his share of the property for more than a decade before selling a portion of Nirvana’s publishing rights for an estimated $50 million. In 2010, he stepped down as director of the company that handled Kurt’s publishing rights in exchange for a $2.75 million loan from his daughter’s trust fund. Around that time, Frances turned 18 and was able to get her trust, which is a third of the property.

4. Prince

Prince died in 2016, leaving an estimated $300 million estate – and no will. Many people tried to present themselves as members of the secret family and claimed a share of the property but they were all dismissed. It took more than a year to determine the rightful beneficiaries of Prince’s estate, which was eventually determined to be his sister, Tyka Nelson, along with his five siblings, according to USA Today .

Over the next few years, his siblings often found themselves in court, fighting over how the money was distributed. In 2021, the three heirs sold their shares to the music publishing company, Primary Wave. The following year, the judge finally decided on the distribution of the property, which was worth $156 million, according to Forbes.

Although it appeared that the legal battle had been resolved, the siblings continued to face off in court. As recently as 2024, the directors of Prince Legacy LLC, the holding company that oversees half of Prince’s assets, had to file a lawsuit against several family members who tried to remove the directors from the company.

5. Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur he was only 25 years old when he died, leaving no will. His estate was eventually given to Afeni Shakur-Davis’ mother. When Afeni died later in 2016, Tom Whalley, the label’s manager, was named as the trustee of the estate. Tom had originally signed Tupac while working for Interscope and eventually served as the head of Warner Bros Records. In his letter, Tupac’s sister Sekyiwa and The Tupac Shakur Foundation were named beneficiaries.

Tom managed the property for several years but in 2022, Sekyiwa sued Tom, claiming that he was “swindling millions” and clearly breaching his duty. He later asked for an inspection of the property. Since then it is not clear what was played in the court.

6. Sonny Bono

After Sonny Bono died suddenly in a skiing accident in 1998, it was discovered that he had left no will. After he went through court, his wife Mary Bono was named conservator of his estate which was eventually divided between her and Sonny’s two children: Chaz Bono and Christy Bono Fasce.

In 2021, Sonny’s ex-wife and music assistant Cher filed a million dollar lawsuit against the estate, claiming that Mary had tried to terminate the arrangements that gave her 50% ownership of the original music and recording royalties. Mary had used the “rights of termination” section of the Copyright Act to “hold…rights that had been transferred to third parties” without Cher’s “knowledge or participation”. According to Fox News, the judge ruled in 2024 that Cher would have received more than $418,000.

7. Billie Holiday

When Billie Holiday died in 1959, he had little money to his name – but he did have assets that included royalties from his music as well as control of his image and publishing rights. Without a will, her estate ended up in the hands of her abusive estranged husband Louis McKay. When he died in 1981, the property passed to his heirs, including his widow, Bernice McKay. According to Billboard, in 2012, he sold to independent publisher Bicycle Music which later merged with Concord Music Group.