Wills of the Rich and Famous: A Fascinating Glimpse at the Legacies of Celebrities

by Herbert E. Nass

The rich and famous have always commanded a special fascination, alive or dead. Here is a collection of weird, quirky, and fascinating wills of over 60 celebrated individuals. Readers will what the famous Howard Hughes "Dummar Will" consisted of; who Orson Welles gave most of his estate to (and it wasn't his wife!); and much more. Advertising in People magazine.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Legal

576 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book to read to your coworkers in your Estate Planning group when the rich people are getting a little too ridiculous.

[Bobbi Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing really too interesting about this book.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really not much there. One or two of interest, like Hitchcock's 26 page will, or what ended up happening with WC Field's one, but overall? Not worth the time.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

The farther I read, the more I felt the cover was pretty sensational in what it promised versus what it delivered.

I like the concept. But the book was mostly commentary, scattered with some factual evidence, that wasn't nearly as interesting as I thought it would be. Commentary isn't bad, but it seemed to outweigh the factual evidence sometimes. And for some entries, I couldn't make the leap to why their will was notable.

Not only that: I love a good pun, but the author makes some eye-rollingly terrible ones all throughout the book.

meh. Interesting concept. Poor execution.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everyone is curious about the rich and famous. Look at the media coverage of Michael Jackson's death. Poor Farrah Fawcett has barely gotten a mention. Looking at how the rich and famous dispose of their worldly possessions and their instructions about their own funeral is interesting and sometimes very surprising.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

on the one hand the topic is somewhat predatory. on the other hand the info was derived from information that became public by virtue of the disposition of the wills. it feeds a harmless curious glimpse into how a few rich and famous dispense with their worldly possesions after they have no way to use them. makes a good bathroom library book.

[Linda Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stuff. Something to read in short bursts.

[Michelle Attuso · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting read. I think most will enjoy.

[Abraham Ray · Rating 1 out of 5]

not a good book in my opinion

[Shinay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The few paragraphs that stated the entries of the Wills were far and few between. This is a book to browse through some afternoon but there's not much substance.