Chadwick Boseman died without a will, but made sure his wife was protected.
Although Chadwick Boseman knew for years he had terminal cancer, we now know he died without writing a will, but he made a key move months before his death to financially protect his wife.
The "Black Panther" star's widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, has filed probate docs, obtained by TMZ, in which she asks to be named administrator of Chadwick's estate. Taylor has to file the docs in probate court because he did not leave a will.
That seems odd considering Chadwick was diagnosed with colon cancer 4 years ago, and knew it was terminal. However, that also puts his marriage to Taylor, who he reportedly dated since 2015, in a new light ... and here's why.
They got engaged in late 2019, and reportedly tied the knot at some point in 2020. That's important because when a person dies without a will and without children, their surviving spouse inherits all the assets of the probate estate.
According to the docs, Taylor gets nearly $1 million in personal property and assets, but that's not a true reflection of Chadwick's wealth and success. Most likely the majority of his assets are held in separate private trusts.
In the docs, Taylor notes Chadwick is also survived by his 2 parents.
As you know, he was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016 and it progressed to stage IV as he silently battled through it. Chadwick died in his home surrounded by his wife and family.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | October 16, 2020 7:48 PM
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Probate is very expensive in California. I hope most of his assets don't have to go through probate.
| by Anonymous | reply 1 | October 16, 2020 3:49 PM
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[quote]Probate is very expensive in California. I hope most of his assets don't have to go through probate.
He only had $1 million in assets that would go into probate. Based on the article, they hypothesize that the majority of his assets are held in various trusts.
It's an interesting strategy not to have a will. I wonder whether somehow contesting a will would put the trusts in play, so he wanted to avoid having a will.
It is a very strange approach to estate planning since he obviously intended his wife to inherit as he married her just before he died.
| by Anonymous | reply 2 | October 16, 2020 4:01 PM
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I know nothing about probate or The Black Panther but his performances as James Brown and Jackie Robinson were Oscar worthy.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | October 16, 2020 4:05 PM
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[quote]That seems odd considering Chadwick was diagnosed with colon cancer 4 years ago, and knew it was terminal.
The Hollywood Reporter mentioned that one of the reasons he didn't inform Marvel was because he thought he'd be well enough to gain weight and do the Black Panther sequel up until a week before he died.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | October 16, 2020 4:13 PM
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My sister died intestate and I had to probate her estate. She only had about $200,000 in assets (and you have to value them at their market value, even if there are mortgages against them), but the probate fees were close to $10,000.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | October 16, 2020 7:48 PM
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