Larry King left his estate to his children in a handwritten will
Larry King died on January 23, 2021 at the age of 87. Several news sources have reported that shortly prior to his death he had been hospitalized in Los Angeles after testing positive for COVID-19. After his death, his seventh wife Shawn Southwick King told news outlets that he had recovered from COVID-19 but had died of sepsis which was a complication of the disease.
Larry King died at the age of 87 due to complications from sepsis following COVID-19.
A recent online story confirmed that Mr. King died with a short handwritten will (in Ontario, a will handwritten by the Deceased is called a holograph will). Mr. King’s will left his entire estate to his children. According to the story, the will was a few sentences long and read as follows:
“This is my Last Will & Testament. It should replace all previous writings. In the event of my death, any day after the above date I want 100% of my funds to be divided equally among my children, Andy, Chaia, Larry Jr., Chance + Cannon.”
This handwritten document was dated October 17, 2019. Various news outlets have reported that his estate was worth $2 million. This is significantly less than his estimated net worth which has been reported at $144 million. The reason for this is that his estate apparently does not include assets held in trust. Between October 17, 2019 and his death on January 23, 2021, two of Mr. King’s children, Andy and Chaia, predeceased him.
Larry King’s wife is challenging his latest will
Another recent online story has revealed that Shawn King is challenging the latest will. Apparently, they were in the process of divorcing at the time of his death as they had filed for divorce in August of 2019. The October 2019 will does not mention Shawn King. She has taken the position that he had been pressured to write this will and they had a “very watertight family estate plan”. Also according to this story, Shawn King has taken the position that their estate plan was the legitimate will and that it would “hold up”. This plan was prepared in 2015. Larry King Jr. has asked to be appointed the estate’s administrator.
According to another story, Shawn King has also taken the position that the handwritten will was “an ineffective codicil” to the original will and “likely a nullity.” Additionally, questions have been raised with respect to Mr. King’s susceptibility to undue influence and his mental capacity toward the end of his life. It has been alleged that he may have suffered a stroke at some point in the years prior to his death.
This matter is currently before the Los Angeles Superior Court. None of the above allegations have been proven in Court. This story is a reminder that late life changes to a will may end up being challenged in Court. This is especially true if these changes are done in an unusual manner such as preparing a short handwritten note.
It appears unlikely that Mr. King had legal advice prior to preparing the latest purported handwritten will. The exact numbers with respect to Mr. King’s estate will likely be confirmed after probate is obtained. However, in the event of litigation, it is likely that the administration of Mr. King’s estate will be significantly delayed.
This will be a very interesting story to follow. More on the latest developments here.