Watch The Will: Family Secrets Revealed
Although the deceased may have written a will with the intent that their belongings be left to certain individuals, there is always someone waiting to contest it. Those that have been left out fight for their right to a piece of the cash. In some cases the amount left to them is considered not enough, and greed pushes them to fight for more.
In addition to the people that are expected to be included in the will, some surprises are also found during the reading. Secret children from affairs have been discovered, and all the deceased skeletons are revealed from the closet.
In the end, to settle the conflict between all parties over distribution of the assets, legal action usually must be taken. Unfortunately not all parties involved get what they want out of the estate.
Some of the celebrities covered by this series include Ritchie Valens, Jerry Garcia and Gary Coleman. When country singer Tammy Wynette passes and her children are refused their inheritance, they launch an investigation that costs $50 million dollars in an unlawful death suit against their mother's physician and their stepfather.
- Wednesdays at 9:00 pm et/pt on Investigation Discovery
- 1 Season, 29 Episodes
- November 3, 2010
- Reality
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/10 - Cast: Brian Degrace, Jean-Francois Hamelin, Letitia Brookes, Jaa Smith-Johnson
Watch Full Episodes of The Will: Family Secrets Revealed
The Will: Family Secrets Revealed Full Episode Guide
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The estate of New York socialite Brooke Astor is settled.
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The estate of former child star Gary Coleman.
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In 1995, Jerry Garcia, from the Grateful Dead, died at the age of 53. He left behind a family and a multi-million-dollar estate, but his will and IOU's sparked lawsuits that had his loved ones in and out of court for years.
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The estate of guitar legend Jimi Hendrix.
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The estate of singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist James Brown.
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In 1969, aspiring author John Kennedy Toole committed suicide and left no will. His parents were entitled to an estate that included his unpublished manuscript, the future Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, along with a second manuscript.
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A dispute over author Steig Larsen's will.
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In 1938, future legendary blues artist Robert Johnson dies penniless. A re-release of his recordings make him one of the top-selling blues artists of all-time. With no will or known descendants, the search for the heir to Robert Johnson's millions begins.
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January 2012. Singer Etta James is on her deathbed. Her family battles over control of her end-of-life decisions-and her fortune. Her husband fights to keep her at home. Her sons fear their stepfather is playing fast and loose with their mother's money.
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Examining the estate of artist Andy Warhol (1928-87).
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A family feud over plans for the remains of baseball legend Ted Williams (1918-2002).
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A look at the estate of singer Ritchie Valens, who died at age 17 in a plane crash alongside Buddy Holly and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson on Feb. 3, 1959.
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The events surrounding the death of country singer Tammy Wynette (1942-98) are examined in the third-season premiere. Included: how her estate settlement affected her daughters.
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The death of 55-year-old Country songwriter Wayne Perry in Ohio on May 15, 2005, ignited a five-year legal battle between his four children and his faith-healing evangelical sister for his assets worth one million dollars.
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Rock Hudson died in 1985 with AIDS. His death ignited a bitter lawsuit by Marc Christian who claimed Hudson knowingly exposed him to HIV. The trial lead to a landmark decision about a partner's duty to disclose a potentially deadly diagnosis.
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Philanthropist Lillian Garis Booth dies at 92, leaving $10-million to her nephew Robert Reldan: a convicted serial killer serving a life sentence. In an effort to stop the inheritance, the father of one of his victims wages war.
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Johnnie Taylor, R&B musician, dies at 66 leaving behind a million-dollar estate. His six children expect to split his estate, until three strangers claim they're Taylor's children as well. Challenging the news, a 2-year legal battle ensues.
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Sarah Hadley, daughter of Art Hadley, the inventor of the expansion bracelet, dies at the age of 75. Her death triggers the distribution of a $7-million trust, but relatives fight as to who should really take home the money home.
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At the age of 59, famed country star Conway Twitty dies, leaving a $15-million estate to his four children. But Conway's widow is also entitled to a piece of the pie. Fighting for her share, an ugly legal battle unfolds in the family.
