As we blogged earlier this week, November is ‘Make a Will’ month. We thought we would share some fun Will facts to end the work week (and hopefully inspire our readers to contemplate their own Wills):
- The oldest known Wills were discovered by English archaeologist, William Petrie, in a pyramid at Kahun, Egypt (anciently known as Illihun). The Wills were dated to 1797 BC. One of the Wills named a guardian for the testator’s children, something which we continue to do today. And it was witnessed by two individuals, a requirement to proper execution that exists today.
- A surprisingly long list of celebrities have died without Wills. This list includes Michael Jackson, Prince, Jimi Hendrix, Amy Winehouse, Sonny Bono, Kurt Cobain, and Aretha Franklin. And the list goes on.
- The award for the sweetest clause to ever be included in a Will would surely go to the American comedian Jack Benny. His Will directed that each day, a single red rose be delivered to his widow. How’s that for romantic?
- And the award for the least romantic would likely go to German poet Heinrich Heine. His Will stated that his estate was to be left to his wife, Matilda, on one condition: that she remarry. In Heinrich’s words, he wanted “there will be at least one man to regret my death”.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!
