The entertainment industry was dealt a blow last month when the British singer Amy Winehouse was found dead in her posh North London home. It is always sad when anyone passes away, but when someone young dies before his or her time it is especially heartbreaking.
Winehouse was just 27 years of age at the time of her death, but her accomplishments were considerable. Her 2006 Back to Black album made a huge splash, and she earned six Grammy nominations for her work on the record, winning five of the prestigious awards. Her music provided a breath of fresh air at that time and it was credited by many with reviving the British music scene and paving the way for new female artists such as Lady Gaga.
It was well publicized that Amy Winehouse lived somewhat of a freewheeling lifestyle. Because of this you may think that she would not have been someone to take the time to make sure that her financial house was in order. The truth is that she did indeed have a solid estate plan in place.
Back in 2009, Winehouse got a divorce from her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, a man who is presently incarcerated. Around that time it is reported that she made a proactive effort to meet with financial planning professionals to engage in some careful planning, and at this time she created her estate plan, excluding Fielder-Civil, who could have been in line for an inheritance under British law.
Because of the fact that Amy Winehouse took the initiative to work with an estate planning attorney to create a solid estate plan, her estate is going to be split between her father Mitch, her ailing mother Janis, and her older brother Alex. At the time of her death, the value of the Winehouse estate was estimated at $16.4 million.
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