Last month, in the wake of the death of actor Mickey Rooney, speculation began about the degree to which the late actor’s will would be accepted by his family. The actor’s estate was not very large, totalling only about $18,000. However, because everything was specified to go to one of the actor’s stepsons, rather than his estranged wife or any of his biological children, a dispute about the will execution seemed likely anyway.
Now, that has come to pass. Rooney’s wife, who had been separated from her husband since June 2012, officially challenged the validity of her late husband’s will. He signed the document only a few weeks before he died on April 7 at the age of 93.
In some cases, a last-minute will that leaves everything to a single person might be cause for alarm, especially if the prospective beneficiary has undue influence over a vulnerable senior citizen. That does not seem to be true in this case, though. Rooney reportedly did not include his biological children because they were already sufficiently well off. He was estranged from his wife, and his main caregiver over the last few years was the stepson he named as his beneficiary.
The deceased actor’s conservator, who is now serving as the executor of the estate, said that Rooney was of sound mind when he signed off on his updated will. He had just finished filming scenes for an upcoming movie, in fact, and the man said that Rooney had no trouble remembering his lines.
Source: CNN, ” Mickey Rooney’s widow contests late actor’s will ,” Alan Duke, May 11, 2014
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