Legendary singer John Lennon left the world in mourning when he was tragically assassinated in December 1980.
The Beatles star who was responsible for songs such as Imagine and I’m Losing You captivated fans with his sultry tones and intriguing lyrics before he passed away.
Married to Yoko Ono, John left behind his beloved wife and his two sons.
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But when John passed away controversy surrounding his will came to light as certain family members were deliberately left out of his fortune which was said to be $200million (£180m) at the time of his death.
Daily Star has taken a look at the details of his will and who he left his millions to.
Family disagreement
(Image: Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)
Most of the details regarding John’s will was kept under wraps – until his first son Julian Lennon spoke out.
John’s son Julian, who he shared with his first wife Cynthia spoke openly about the distress he felt being excluded from his father’s will, despite his half brother Sean being included.
Julian later revealed that he was supposed to receive £2,400 a year in maintenance from the divorce settlement between his father and his mother.
There was also £50,000 trust fund which was inherited by Julian when he was 25 years old.
However considering the singer’s net worth at the time which is now close to £612.3 million, Julian felt that he was left out in the dark.
Speaking about the will to the Telegraph in 1998, Julian said: “I don’t think it was necessarily fair, but I’m OK. The last thing I wanted was a court battle because there’s much more money on the estate side than my side.”
Court battle
Despite later insisting that he didn’t want to take things to court, Julian reportedly went into a court battle in 1996 to attain some money from the estate, suing the estate for a larger cut of the inheritance.
Julian won his case and it was reported that he gained around £20 million from the estate at the time.
However, the musician’s son later denied that this was the exact figure that he gained from the inheritance.
Although Julian has now come to terms with the way things were handled, he previously slated his father in an interview, saying: “I have to say that, from my point of view, I felt he was a hypocrite.
“Dad could talk about peace and love out loud to the world but he could never show it to the people who supposedly meant the most to him: his wife and son.”
Yoko and son Sean
(Image: AFP)
The majority of the funds from the Let It Be singer’s fortune were bequeathed to his youngest son Sean and wife Yoko when he tragically passed away.
The mother and son were left with the $264M million fortune at the time which is around $620 million if converted to the current dollars after inflation.
According to Living Trust Network, part of John’s will reads: “Should my wife survive me, I give, devise and bequeath to her absolutely, an amount equal to that portion of my residuary estate.”
John did not have any other source of income except for his work as a musician before he passed away.
Charities
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Before his death, John gave thousands of fortune away to charities and his widow Yoko has continued to do the same.
Last year, Yoko surprised the staff at The Brian Charity in Liverpool with a rare vinyl edition of the single, Happy Xmas (War Is Over).
Members of the charity which offers support, practical help and social activities to anyone with a neurological condition were clearly blown away by the unexpected donation.
CEO of the charity, Nanette Mellor said: “The recognition that they thought about us in Liverpool at this time of year, when our clients really need us, was unbelievable. It’s such a lovely gesture to be recognised by a family who are globally iconic.
“We are all hugely moved,” she added.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
