Carley’s Corner - Barry White’s Estate Fault
Barry White, born in 1944, was an American singer who found fame in the 1970’s with songs such as Never Gonna Give Ya Up, and Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe. White recorded twenty albums throughout the course of his career and had twenty gold and ten platinum singles with worldwide record sales surpassing 100 million records sold. There is simply no denying that he was one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
White married his childhood sweetheart Mary at the age of 19, and the pair had 5 children together before getting divorced in 1969. Barry then married singer Glodean James in 1974 and the couple had 4 children together before separating in 1988. After his split with James, Barry found love again and began dating Katherine Denton who he dated up until his death in 2003.
Barry had struggled with his weight his whole life and suffered from related health issues. He was hospitalized due to kidney failure and suffered a severe stroke while undergoing dialysis. He passed away 6 weeks later at the age of 58 in July of 2003.
Barry did have a Will when he passed away, however it hadn’t been updated in years. Since the Will had not been revised since it was drafted, his Will stated that everything was to be left to his ex-wife Glodean James. Although Barry and Glodean had been separated for years by this point, they had never legally divorced - meaning she inherited the entire estate estimated to be worth over $20 million dollars!
White’s girlfriend Katherine challenged this in court for a share of the estate, however her attempts failed. Glodean allowed Katherine to live in Barry’s home, however she received nothing else from the estate. Two of Barry’s children have also since filed lawsuits against Glodean and the estate, claiming that she has failed to fund their trusts and has gone against the wishes of their father. These disputes are still currently in litigation.
If Barry had updated his Will after his separation from Glodean James, all these costly court battles could have been avoided. Even when faced with a long-term illness, it is interesting that he chose to not update these crucial documents. Your Will directs how you wish for your estate to be distributed at the time it was created, this may not reflect how you feel years down the road. Updating these important documents also ensures that you are protecting your loved ones from family disputes and litigation.
Don’t let this happen to you! Make sure that you are updating your Will and important documents as your life changes and ensure that you are naming the right person as your Executor. Want to learn more about the role of Executor and verify that you chose the right person to manage your estate? Check out our new online course called Executor Ready today!
This blog is not intended to be legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you require legal advice, please contact a legal professional concerning your particular circumstances.