Mo' Money, Mo' Problems: 18 times a celebrity's fortune resulted in heated feuds

In early April, the Hollywood Reporter published an exposé alleging that comic book legend Stan Lee was the victim of elderly abuse by his former business manager. According to the report, Jerardo Olivarez allegedly transferred millions of dollars from Stan Lee's accounts into his own,  and used some of that money to buy a condo. But perhaps worst of all, Olivarez is accused of drawing blood from Lee to use it to stamp comic book memorabilia sold for profit. Lee passed away on Nov. 12, 2018, and it remains to be seen what will become of the legal battle over his estate.

When Mickey Rooney died in 2014, he was mostly broke despite being in the film industry since the early days of silent movies. In 2011, Rooney successfully got a restraining order against Chris and Christina Aber, his stepson and step-daughter-in-law, alleging elder abuse and the swindling of millions of dollars. 

It's been nearly four years since the pioneering radio DJ died, but his family appears no closer to ending their legal family feud with one another over Casey Kasem's death and . It all started with Kasem's children accusing their stepmother, Jean Kasem, of elder abuse and neglect, alleging that she was responsible for the death of their father. Jean Kasem fought back, suing them for the same thing. As of this writing, the courts have yet to resolve who will control Kasem's estate and remaining assets. 

Following the 2014 death of the comedian and actor, Robin Williams' third wife and his three children became legally entangled after the Susan Schneider Williams, his widow, alleged that she wasn't getting enough to maintain the home the two shared. Schneider Williams also fought to keep several of the late actors' items — including a watch, a bike, and his t-shirts — which she claimed had sentimental value for her and were not memorabilia. Both sides eventually settled in October 2015. 

Despite revealing in a biography that he had a low sperm count, The King of the Blues never disputed any paternity claims — B.B. King agreed to father 15 children from 15 different women. When he died in May 2015, his remaining children sued the executor of B.B. King' estate in an effort to get control of it. To this day, the fate of his estate remains pending. 

It's been more than a decade since soul singer James Brown died on Christmas Day 2006 of pneumonia, but to this day, not one single dollar has gone to his inheritors. In the years since, more than a dozen lawsuits of all types have been filed, including one challenging the legitimacy of the marriage between James Brown and Tommie Ray Hynie, his widow. At one point, South Carolina's attorney general stepped in to try to find a solution, but that settlement was later overturned by the state's Supreme Court.

Trouble over Jimi Hendrix's estate didn't really begin until 2002, when Al Hendrix, the musician's father, died. In his will, Al Hendrix named Janie Hendrix, Jimi's adopted sister, as the person solely responsible for the estate. Leon Hendrix, Jimi's biological younger brother, challenged his father's will but lost. As if that weren't enough, Janie Hendrix sued Leon Hendrix and his business partner in 2007 for selling merchandise with the guitarist's image without her permission. Both sides eventually settled in 2009.

James Howard Marshall II was an oil baron that became a billionaire thanks to his stake in Koch Industries, but he'll forever be known as the octogenarian who married former Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith in 1994 — they were 89- and 24-years-old, respectively. After his death, Anna Nicole Smith claimed her ex-husband, who she was married to for 14 months, orally promised her half of his fortune. The legal dispute over J. Howard Marshall's estate eventually reached the Supreme Court (twice!) before it was settled in 2011, years after Smith herself had died. In the end, Anna Nicole Smith's estate got nothing.

Of course the death of one of the most bizarre figures in American history resulted in an equally bizarre dispute over his estate. Shortly after Hughes' death in April 1976, a handwritten will was discovered at at the offices of the Church of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake CIty, Utah, which gave away his wealth and assets to multiple entities and individuals. Among them was Melvin Dummar, a gas station attendant who claimed to have rescued Hughes in 1967, which resulted in Hughes bequeathing him one-sixteenth of his fortune. That document, known as the "Mormon will," was later ruled to be a forgery. 

Michael Jackson's will has never been disputed in court since his death in 2009. But three years after his death, several of his siblings — including the remaining members of the Jackson 5 — signed a letter claiming that the King of Pop's will was forged by the executors of his estate, but they were too bereaved after his passing to do anything about it. It's worth noting that Michael Jackson left everything to his mother, three children and several charities — shutting out everyone else. 

The 1995 death of the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia brought about a series of legal challenges from multiple sides. First, there was a lawsuit filed Carolyn Adams Garcia, the guitarist's ex-wife, who claims she was owed the majority of the $5 million she was promised when she divorced him. Then there was his daughter, Keelan Garcia, who fought (and won) to get a bigger share of her inheritance. Even Doug Erwin, Jerry Garcia's guitar maker, was involved in litigation. Garcia had bequeathed Erwin four of his guitars, but the Grateful Dead challenged the gift in court, claiming that the musical equipment belonged to the band, not Garcia (both sides eventually agreed to keep two guitars each).

After Michael Crichton died in 2008, his daughter Taylor Anne Crichton tried to get her stepmom Sherri Crichton removed as a trustee of the late author and "ER" creator's estate after Sherri Crichton tried to get her newborn son named as one of his heirs — John Michael Crichton was born after the death of his father. A Los Angeles judge eventually ruled that Crichton's infant son was entitled to a third of his estate.

The legal disputes over who would get what started immediately after the legendary actor died in 2004. According to the New York Times, there were at least 23 cases pertaining to his final wishes. One legal dispute involved Angela Borlaza, Brando's assistant and housekeeper in the final years of his life. Borlaza alleged that Mike Medavoy and Larry J. Dressler, who were named executor's of Brando's estate, forged the actor's will. She also claimed that Brando had verbally promised to give her the home that Brando had purchased for her. Both sides eventually settled their dispute for $125,000. 

It's been two years since the Purple One passed away, but his affairs are far from settled — the notoriously litigious Prince complicated things by dying without leaving a will behind. Prince's sister and five half-siblings have been named, but no one has received anything because the Internal Revenue Service is trying to figure out how much his estate is worth. That hasn't stopped Comerica Bank and Trust, the company named by a judge as the executor of Prince's estate, from collecting $5.9 million in fees and compensation. The heirs have also filed legal documents opposing an "entertainment transaction" made by the executors, though details of what that transaction is have yet to be revealed.

There was no love lost between Florence Griffith Joyner's widower and her mother after the September 1998 death of the former Olympic athlete. Florence Griffith, Flo-Jo's mother, sued her son-in-law Al Joyner accusing him of negligence, which she alleged contributed to the death of her daughter. She also sought an order that would let her live rent-free at a condo the couple owned. In turn, Al Joyner filed a counter-suit to try to evict his mother-in-law from the residence. Both sides eventually withdrew their claims. 

When Tom Clancy died in 2013, he left behind a hefty tax bill –– $11.8 million, to be exact. It was up to the courts to decide who would pay it. Alexandra Clancy, the authors widow and second wife, argued that Clancy had modified his will shortly before his death to shield her, the beneficiary of two-thirds of his estate, from any tax liability. A Baltimore judge sided with her. But wait, there's more — Alexandra Clancy is also suing the executor of her late husband's estate over ownership of the Jack Ryan character. 

The legacy of Dr. Maya Angelou is the subject of pending litigation between her son and grandson. In November 2017, Guy Bailey Johnson filed a lawsuit against Colin Ashanti Murphy-Johnson, his own son, alleging that he had bankrupted a company set up to manage the late author's intellectual property in order to pay for his extravagant lifestyle. The elder Johnson also claims financial elder abuse, accusing his own son of intimidation. Dr. Angelou passed away in 2014. 

Like others on this list, legendary musician and producer Ike Turner didn't leave behind a will when he died — he overdosed on cocaine in December 2007. As a result, his children argued that they were entitled to his estate in accordance to California state law. Shortly after Turner's death, however, two separate handwritten wills emerged. One of them named Audrey Madison Turner, his most recent ex-wife, as the sole beneficiary, whereas the other named friend and attorney James Clayton as the rightful heir. In 2009, a judge ruled in favor of Ike Turner's children.