The lives of celebrities are an open book due to the feeding frenzy of the gossip and entertainment media. Some of the information that is circulated is of the tabloid variety that really doesn’t provide you with much more than a bit of entertainment. However, sometimes you read about actions taken by celebrities that can be instructive, and the estate planning efforts of the late British singer Amy Winehouse is a good example.
Winehouse was just 27 years old at the time of her death last year, and her untimely passing stunned the music industry. It is no secret that Winehouse lived and played hard, so observers rightly wondered if she had her financial house in order when she passed away.
The British newspapers report that Amy Winehouse did indeed take the necessary steps to assert her final wishes in a legally binding manner. She left her assets to her father, her mother and her brother.
Amy Winehouse had been married to Blake Fielder-Civil and she reportedly made a point of revising her estate plan after divorcing from him. Under British law, it would have been possible that he could have been in line for an inheritance had she not been proactive about asserting her wishes.
Life changes such as divorce and remarriage generally require estate plan updates. If your estate plan is currently in need of revision, you may want to take action sooner rather than later and arrange for a consultation with an experienced San Jose area estate planning lawyer.
We also invite you to read our free reports, The Impact of Divorce on Your Estate Plan, Planning it Right the Second Time Around, and Living Trusts, Calculating the Benefits.
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