It has long been assumed that inheriting money is the best, if not the quickest, way to become wealthy. After all, you essentially win a lottery at birth. However, some renowned individuals, even millionaires and billionaires, felt that leaving their wealth to children and grandchildren would be both unfair and hazardous. Some of the world’s wealthiest individuals chose to maximize their family inheritance rather than keeping it within the family. They had a much bigger vision: to ensure that their children and grandchildren worked hard and made riches on their own terms. These ultra-wealthy excluded their children from their wills, and some even decided to cut them out completely!
30+ Celebrities Disinherited Their Relatives
Elton John
With a net worth of $500 million, Elton John has released over 30 albums, toured extensively, and provided everlasting joy to the world. He also wrote the Oscar-winning song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” for the soundtrack of the Disney blockbuster The Lion King. Elton has two sons, who have grown up in the spotlight of their father’s celebrity and wealth. He told the Daily Mirror newspaper that after his death, they will have to forge their own pathways to achievement. “Of course, I want to leave my boys in a secure financial position. Giving children a silver spoon, however, is a poor idea. “It ruins their lives.”
Elton John
Aaron Spelling
Aaron Spelling, a famous TV producer, was valued approximately $600 million. For years, he had the golden touch on television. He produced shows such as Charlie’s Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210, The Love Boat, and Fantasy Island. Spelling utilized the riches of his fame to lavishly treat his children Tori and Randy with trips and presents, eventually building one of Beverly Hills’ largest residences. Later, Spelling believed that his children couldn’t handle the enormous wealth owing to their extravagant spending habits. According to reports, after his death, he left his daughter Tori with less than $1 million of his $600 million inheritance.
Aaron Spelling
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons’ initial path to prominence was as the bassist and co-lead singer of KISS, the iconic 1970s glam-metal rock band. Simmons increased his revenue from music royalties during the last few decades by investing in restaurants, motorsports, and commercial cannabis. Simmons, although being a multimillionaire for many years, grew up in poverty. In an interview with CNBC, he stated that he wants his son and daughter to be driven to achieve their own success. “Every day they should be forced to get up out of bed and go out and work and make their own way,” according to him.
Gene Simmons
Sean Connery
Sean Connery, best known as the actor who portrayed secret agent James Bond, grew up in difficult circumstances. Connery dropped out of school at the age of 13 after having a less-than-ideal childhood. He went on to work as a truck driver, milk delivery boy, and coffin polisher. Later on, he learnt to capitalize on his good looks as a bodybuilder, model, and, finally, actor. Connery amassed a nine-figure income and was knighted after acting in dozens of films over the course of six decades. However, according to his ex-wife Diane Cilento, Connery did not pass it on to his only son, Jason. When asked about his reaction, Jason defended his father, saying The Telegraph that his father “earned this money, through nothing but his own tireless hard work, and what he does with it and who he gives it to is completely up to him.”
Sean Connery
Andrew Lloyd Weber
Andrew Lloyd Weber, an award-winning playwright and composer with a net worth of $1.2 billion, has demonstrated that it is possible to produce both quality and quantity. Weber has composed some of the most memorable music for the theater and movie over the last half-century, including The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, and Jesus Christ Superstar. He has received scores of trophies and has joined the rare EGOT club by winning Grammy, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony awards. While it is unclear what would happen to his riches after his death, Weber revealed his financial goals in an interview with the Daily Mirror, emphasizing the importance of hard work above inheritance. Weber said of his five children from two marriages, “They aren’t bothered.” They do not think that way. It is about having a work ethic; I do not believe in inherited money at all.”
Andrew Lloyd Weber
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay, a celebrity chef, does not create friends by slapping them on the back or saying nice things. Ramsay’s renown stems from his quick temper and aggressive words toward both staff and detractors, earning him an estimated $220 million. Even though his achievement has resulted in a nine-figure fortune, he appears to have little desire to pass it down to his five children. Ramsay expressed his belief in tough love in an interview with The Telegraph, revealing that he wanted to donate the majority of his money to charity. “I’ve never been really attracted to money. [My children] don’t sit with us in first class. “They haven’t worked nearly hard enough to afford that,” he explained.
Gordon Ramsay
Barron Hilton
Barron Hilton, chairman and heir of the Hilton Hotel Corporation, has a net worth of $4.5 billion. Barron grew up a wealthy, having inherited his father Conrad’s inheritance, the man who founded the family hotel business and became a global hospitality leader. He made sure to take advantage of the unlimited access and choices that came with his wealth. He founded the American Football League, which subsequently merged with the NFL to form the Super Bowl, and indulged in a costly pastime as a private pilot. Barron, on the other hand, took a different approach to passing on his assets to his eight children and high-profile grandchildren, including Paris and Nicki Hilton. He opted to defy family tradition and donate 97% of his fortune to charity, with the majority going to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
Barron Hilton
Bill Gates
Bill Gates, the creator of Microsoft, has a massive net worth of $106.8 billion. Nobody expected him to become the world’s richest person for the majority of the last two decades, let alone a millionaire by the age of 26. Gates dropped out of Harvard to form Microsoft with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Bill and his ex-wife Melinda have used their riches to inspire and enable others to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. Before announcing their split after 27 years together, the two established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to which over 99% of their legacy would be dedicated. Though the two have stated that they will contribute a relatively modest $10 million to each of their three children, they encourage other billionaires to follow suit. They have encouraged others to donate their inheritance to a worthy cause through a program known as The Giving Pledge.
Bill Gates
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford had four children and a net worth of approximately $2 million. Despite her rise to stardom in 1930s Hollywood, where she was noted for her beauty, acting range, and sensuous manner, she had a darker side. Christina, Crawford’s adopted daughter, documented her mother’s abusive conduct, which she only displayed on occasion, in her memoir Mommie Dearest, which was published a year after her mother died in 1977. Crawford gave $77,500 to her two younger children, Cindy and Cathy, but excluded Christina and Christopher from her will entirely. She went on: “It is my intention to make no provision herein for my son Christopher or my daughter Christina for reasons which are well known to them.”
Joan Crawford
Sonny Bono
Sonny Bono, a famous singer and Cher’s ex-husband, has an estimated net worth of $4 million. The couple had several children together, including son Chaz Bono, and had been married for several years before splitting up. Sonny died as a consequence of a terrible skiing accident in 1998 at the age of 62, when he plunged headfirst into a tree and killed on impact because he was not wearing a helmet. At the time of his death, Sonny and Chaz were estranged. Chaz and Cher had a falling out but eventually reunited. It is stated that Sonny’s involvement with the Church of Scientology contributed to Chaz’s estrangement from his father.
Sonny Bono
Robert Kardashian
renowned defense attorney for O.J. Simpson Robert Kardashian has a net worth of $30 million. After his long struggle with cancer, he left his estate to his wife, Ellen Pierson. He had only been married to Pierson for less than a year. His first wife and four children—Khloe, Kourtney, Kim, and Rob—were not mentioned in his will. Despite the fact that they went on to have quite prosperous careers, they were upset and challenged the will in court. The judge rejected the lawsuit, which claimed that Robert’s widow had fabricated documents.
Robert Kardashian
Bob Marley
Bob Marley, a Jamaican singer, died at the age of 36 in Miami, Florida in 1981. He was one of the world’s most famous reggae singers. His career, which began in 1962, came to an abrupt end when he died of cancer. He has a net worth of $130 million and 11 children. Marley never made a will because his Rastafarian ideology forbade him from acknowledging his own mortality. As a result, his estate became the source of numerous familial disputes, which continue to this day.
Bob Marley
Sting
Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting, spent the most of the 1970s working as a construction worker, bus conductor, tax clerk, and teacher before becoming the main singer for the band The Police later that decade. His stint with the band and subsequent successful solo career increased his net worth to an estimated $400 million. He continues to produce new work and tour, raising the question of how much his riches will increase. In an interview with The Guardian, Sting stated that his six children should not anticipate much after his death due to his spending habits. “I told them there would be little money left because we were squandering everything. We have several commitments. We spend what comes in, leaving little left over. I certainly do not want to leave children with trust monies that are like albatrosses around their necks. They need to work. All of my children understand this, and they rarely ask for anything from me, which I greatly respect and enjoy.
Sting
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman made his fortune via his roles in the films Scent of a Woman, The Big Lebowski, and Boogie Nights. He later won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the film Capote. Unfortunately, his career was cut short when he died of a horrific drug overdose in 2014. Even though his death came as a surprise, Hoffman had taken official efforts to ensure that his three children would not grow up to be entitled “trust fund kids”. He bequeathed his estate to his partner and the children’s mother, Mimi O’Donnell. While he did not believe he needed to secure his riches for his children, he did state that he wanted them to “be raised in a city with art and culture,” including New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Ted Turner
Despite making his fortune in the ultra-competitive and volatile world of media and sports, Turner increasingly turned to the rural side of America, purchasing enormous tracts of land in the western plains and mountains. At one point, he was the largest landowner in all of America. As a result, Turner established the Turner Foundation in 1990, with environmental and conservation objectives as its top goal. Turner’s seven children will reportedly not inherit any of his two-billion-dollar fortune, as he has pledged to donate the majority of his riches to charity when he dies.
Ted Turner
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney, one of the last living silent film actors, was known for films such as Night At The Museum, National Velvet, and The Black Stallion. He began his career as a child, appearing in vaudeville plays, and was reported to be worth $20,000 at the time of his death. Rooney was born in 1920 and died in 2014. Rooney had eleven children and a wife named Jan Rooney, whom he married in 1979. Just a few weeks before his death, Rooney decided to disinherit eight of his children. He bequeathed his tiny estate, which was due to debt, to his stepson.
Mickey Rooney
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, a two-time Oscar winner with a net worth of $100 million, has been described as one of the finest actors of all time. Brando’s career lasted almost sixty years, beginning in 1944 and ending in 2004, thanks to his chameleon-like acting skills and ability to impersonate practically anyone. Brando’s most iconic performances were in movies like A Streetcar Named Desire, Apocalypse Now, and The Godfather. Brando had eleven children, including Christian Brando, who was unstable and died before his father. Brando’s other children were similarly troublesome, and before his death at the age of eighty, he excluded two of them from his will.
Marlon Brando
David Cassidy
David Cassidy rose to prominence as Keith Partridge on the sitcom The Partridge Family in the 1970s. Cassidy was born in Manhattan in 1950 and died in Fort Lauderdale in 2017. As a singer and actor, he rose to prominence as a teen superstar in the 1970s and amassed a net worth of $500,000. Cassidy had two children, Beau and Katie, and while he claimed to be “proud” of his daughter, the two had a rocky relationship for reasons neither party revealed. It became evident when he left $150,000 to his son, Beau, after his death and signed Katie out of his will.
David Cassidy
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
The stars of That ’70s Show, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis, met on the set in 1998. The two didn’t start dating until 2012, years after the show ended in 2006. They married in 2015 and have two children. While they struggled to protect their children’s privacy, Ashton discussed their thoughts about the children’s financial future. Kutcher claimed in an interview on the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shephard, “I’m not establishing trust for them. We plan to donate our money to charities and other causes. I am willing to invest in my children’s businesses if they have a solid business strategy, but they lack trust. So perhaps they’ll be driven to have what they had, or something similar to it.”
Ashton Kutcher And Mila Kunis
Richard “Old Man” Harrison
Richard “Old Man” Harrison became well-known as one of the pawnshop owners on the reality television show Pawn Stars. He had three boys: Christopher, Joseph, and Rick Jr. Rick, his son, costarred with him on the show. When Richard Harrison Sr. amended his will in 2017, he swiftly excluded his son Christopher. Although he never explained why, and neither did Rick Jr, his executor, we know that the inheritance would have been substantial, given Harrison’s net worth of $8 million.
Richard “Old Man” Harrison
John Denver
John Denver’s primary claim to fame was the song “Take Me Home, Country Roads”. Denver, born Henry Deutschendorf, Jr., was a philanthropist who supported environmental issues and launched The World Hunger Project. Before dying in a plane crash in 1997, he performed his renowned song at The Wildlife Concert, which was one of his best performances. He had three children—Jesse Belle, Zachary, and Anna Kate—as well as two adoptive children. He also had two ex-wives whom he disinherited. The singer and guitarist had previously been a part of the band Peter, Paul and Mary.
John Denver
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis, the actor in Some Like It Hot, worked relentlessly from 1949 until 2008. He starred in scores of television shows and films and had a net worth of $60 million by the time he died in 2010. Curtis’ off-screen life was also chaotic, with five of his six marriages ending in divorce. Curtis had six children, including actress Jamie Lee Curtis. His memorabilia was sold by his estate for approximately one million dollars, but none of the money or the remainder of his fortune were distributed to his children. He allegedly rewrote his will shortly before his death and disinherited all six children without explanation.
Tony Curtis
50 Cent
50 Cent, a musician, rapper, and actor, was born Curtis Jackson III. Having had a difficult background that included his mother’s death when he was only eight years old, being shot, and peddling narcotics as a teenager. Jackson’s family life was also turbulent, with him fighting bitterly with his ex-girlfriend Shaniqua Tompkins over custody of their son Marquise. Marquise was born while 50 Cent was just 21. 50 Cent and Marquise have grown apart over the years as Marquise has become older and no longer needs child support payments. 50 Cent even publicly disowned Marquise in June 2019, writing on Instagram, “I got a blood test that’s not my kid.”
50 Cent
Warren Buffett
Warren Buffet is recognized for being incredibly wealthy but maintaining a simple lifestyle. His current net worth is estimated to be above $100 billion, although he continues to reside in the Omaha, Nebraska home he bought for $31,000 in 1958. Buffet made the decision to dedicate the results of his labor and insight to those beyond his family. At the New York Public Library, the “Oracle of Omaha” stated why he decided to donate 99% of his money to charity: “I’m not an enthusiast for dynastic wealth, particularly when six billion others have much poorer hands than we do in life.”
Warren Buffett
Pablo Picasso
The famous painter Pablo Picasso has four children. He was born in Malaga, Spain in 1881 and is one of history’s most famous artists, well known for his surrealism style, expressionism, and cubism. He died at Mougins, France, in 1973, at the age of ninety two. In addition to painting, Picasso was a printer, ceramicist, sculptor, and author. Picasso’s net worth reached $500 million as a result of the selling of his paintings. Following his death, his inheritance became the focus of a nasty feud between his daughters, Claude and Paloma, and his widow. His daughter, Maya, eventually acquired the remainder of his unpublished writings, while his widow received the most of his estate.
Pablo Picasso
George Lucas
George Lucas, best known for creating the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises, pioneered a number of filming technology. He is also a skilled businessman, with a net worth of $6.4 billion. After attempting to implement his idea of digital special effects and discovering that it was prohibitively expensive, he founded Industrial Light and Magic, which would later become Pixar. In 2012, George sold his production firm, LucasFilms, as well as all of the Star Wars picture rights, to Disney for $4.5 billion. Despite having four children, Lucas decided not to pass on his riches and joined Warren Buffet’s Giving Pledge in 2012. He emphasized his support for education, saying, “As long as I have the resources at my disposal, I will seek to raise the bar for future generations of all ages.”
George Lucas
Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell, the creator, producer, and host of blockbuster series X Factor, America’s Got Talent, and American Idol, has profited the most from the reality television boom. Cowell’s net worth is $506 million, which he acquired through long-running contest shows such as American Idol, which premiered in 2002. His magic touch for discovering ordinary individuals with incredible talent spread to Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, and X Factor versions that air in nations across the world. At 54, Cowell’s most valuable commodity was his son, Eric. Even before his child was born, Cowell was a firm believer in the need of achieving personal achievement. He told The Mirror, “I don’t believe in passing down from one generation to the next. Your legacy must be that, hopefully, you provided enough opportunities for others to succeed, and you gave them your time and taught them what you know.”
Simon Cowell
Kevin O’Leary
Kevin O’Leary, a Shark Tank judge, is estimated to have a net worth of over $400 million and does not want to leave any of it to his children, instead relying on them to care for themselves. He told Time Magazine, “If you don’t start your life with the fear of not being able to feed yourself and your family, what drives you to go obtain a job? Fear motivated me and will motivate them.
Kevin O’Leary
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson, the legendary (and controversial) musician called “The King of Pop,” has three children and a fortune of approximately $400 million. Before his last child was born, Jackson made his will in 2002, deciding not to give all of his money to his children. He divided his estate among his mother, children, and other charities to which he was dedicated. Michael cut his father out of his will since they had a volatile and tumultuous relationship.
Michael Jackson
Reg Grundy
Reg Grundy is an Australian television producer with a net worth of $800 million. He gained a fortune by creating shows such as Time Machine, ABBA: The Movie, and Scrabble, among many more. Grundy and his wife, Joy Chambers, have been married for nearly forty years and have one child, Kim. Grundy was born in 1923 and died in 2016. Following his death, a guy named Simon Thomas Russell emerged out the woodwork as his love child, demanding a share of the inheritance. Simon was disqualified from the will contest after a DNA test revealed that Grundy was not his biological father.
Reg Grundy
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, one of the world’s most famous martial artists, has two children and an estimated net worth of $400 million. In addition to acting, he produces multiple action films, directs, and stunts. Chan is well-known for completing his own feats, many of them are dangerous. Offscreen, he is a philanthropist as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a vocal opponent of animal cruelty. Chan also promotes education and disaster assistance through his own organization, the Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation. Chan has no ambitions to bequeath his riches to his son because he has worked hard for himself his entire life. Alternatively, he intends to leave half his estate to charity. In an interview with Channel NewsAsia, he expressed his belief in hard work and said of his son, “He can make his own money.”
Jackie Chan
MacKenzie Bezos
Mackenzie Bezos is one of the world’s richest women. She received billions via her marriage to her ex-husband, Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon, Inc., bringing her net worth to an estimated $36.8 billion. They were married for 25 years before splitting up, and they had four children during their time together. Because Jeff and MacKenzie did not have a prenuptial agreement, she received a 4% share in Amazon. This small fraction is currently worth approximately $40 billion. They cut each other out of their wills and divorced in April 2019.
MacKenzie Bezos
Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell was a musician and actor best known for his song “Rhinestone Cowboy” and many more songs in the 1960s and 1970s. He also presented The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, a variety show that ran from 1969 to 1972. Campbell was married to his wife Kimberly from 1882 until his death in 2017. In his will, which left a considerable inheritance worth roughly $500,000, he disinherited his three children if they attempted to fight it. They did, but eventually they were cut out of the will.
Glen Campbell
Donatella Versace
Donatella Versace, the head of Versace, one of the world’s most famous premium fashion labels, is reported to be worth $200 million. She was born in Italy and has two children: Allegra and Daniel. Her daughter was allegedly astonished to learn that her uncle, Gianni Versace, had left her a hefty inheritance following his death. Despite having a fifteen-year partner, Gianni disinherited him from his will, leaving his young heiress niece with half of his empire. Despite Gianni’s terrible demise, the House of Versace continues to thrive thanks to his sister.
Donatella Versace
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest people in American history, grew the US steel industry as a steel tycoon in the late 1800s. He was a passionate philanthropist in both the United States and the United Kingdom, with a net worth of more than $372 billion in current terms. Despite his great fortune, Carnegie did not give all to his children. He elected to donate his estate to charity, depriving his children of a significant portion of their inheritance. Carnegie was even portrayed in one magazine as transitioning from Robber Baron to Robin Hood by the time he reached old age.
Andrew Carnegie
Maurice Laboz
Maurice Laboz, known as the president of Regal Real Estate, died in 2015 with a net worth of $20 million. He had three children and bequeathed all of his inheritance to his two daughters, Marlena and Victoria. His will, however, included certain harsh terms and restrictions about the two ladies’ individual life choices. Some of the landlord’s restrictions included the requirement that the two not have any children out of wedlock and get married before inheriting. Following Laboz’s death, the tale gained traction in the local media. His money will be disbursed when his daughters meet each term and condition, and if they breach a regulation, they will forfeit the money.
Maurice Laboz
Larry Page
Larry Page, co-founder of Google and long-time CEO of Alphabet, is believed to be worth $60 billion. Page retired in December 2019, intending to spend more time with his family. He has two children and a wife named Lucinda, who he married in 2007. Page is described as a humanitarian and a man of high moral standards. He even cut off communication with his Google co-founder Sergey Brin over emails he discovered between Brin and a younger employee. Brin and his wife split after the emails were disclosed.
Larry Page
Davina McCall
Davina McCall, a Londoner and presenter of the hit reality show Big Brother, has a net worth of $4 million. The show ran on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010. McCall married Matthew Robertson after a previous brief marriage, and the couple has three children: Chester, Till, and Holly. The two separated in 2017. Davina, a fitness model worth several million dollars, decided not to pass on her wealth to her children because she wanted them to learn to appreciate things. She stated that she would rather leave her children “a curse” than “the almighty dollar”.
Davina McCall
Stieg Larsson
Stieg Larsson, a Swedish author, wrote the literary crime series Millennium. The series began with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which eventually inspired the film starring Rooney Mara. Although he had no children, his long-term spouse was left with nothing when he died in 2004. Larsson had a net worth of approximately $50 million. Eva Gabrielsson, Stieg’s ex-partner, fought to prove their relationship to the authorities, which she later recounted in a memoir. Despite their many years together, Gabrielsson was denied inheritance since he never made a witnessed will before his death. The Millennium Novels have sold around 55 million copies.
Stieg Larsson