6 Revelations From Mickey Rooney's Will
A petition for probate, including the actor's will, was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday and obtained by "The Insider With Yahoo." The documents state there has been a dispute over where Rooney, who died Sunday at the age of 93, will be buried. An agreement was reached that the late star's body would not be moved — by his wife, Jan, and her son Christopher Aber, or Rooney's appointed conservator, attorney Michael R. Augustine — from a mortuary until a court hearing Friday.
As for Rooney's estate, it's modest, despite having worked much of his life. Here's what we learned from his will…
1. He put his legal affairs in order just prior to his death. Rooney's will was signed on March 11 — less than a month before he died due to natural causes, including complications related to diabetes.
2. He and his wife, Jan, were separated. Rooney's will states that he and his eighth wife Jan, who married in 1978, separated on June 30, 2012. As part of their legal split, they would remain married and would not change her as the beneficiary for his pension or Social Security distribution "such that Jan will benefit from these items as my living spouse." Jan agreed to those terms, Rooney noted in the will, and "forever waived the rights" to a stake in his estate.
3. He left his modest estate to his stepson, Mark Rooney. Mark, who is Jan's son,was caring for Rooney at the time of his death and will be the sole beneficiary of Rooney's $18,000 estate.
4. Yes, $18,000 is all Rooney had. Despite his long career — Rooney was still working at the time of his death — he had little money. He previously said that he lost most of his fortune because of elder abuse and money mismanagement by Jan's other son, Christopher Aber. Additionally, his steady stream of divorces famously drained his funds.
5. He did not want Aber — or any of his relatives — in charge of his estate. Michael R. Augustine is the court-appointed conservator of Rooney's estate. The late actor made sure to note that he didn't want Aber, whom he accused of abuse, to oversee his finances. "Under no circumstances shall any of Jan, Christopher Aber, Christina Aber, any of their descendants, or any of my heirs serve as Executer of my estate," the papers state.
[Related: Mickey Rooney's 10 Most Memorable Roles]
6. He disinherited all family members other than Mark. In addition to Jan and her two sons, Rooney had eight living children and one son who predeceased him. Other than stepson/caretaker Mark, he disinherited them all. Augustine explained to the Associated Press that Rooney felt that his agreement with Jan provided adequate care for her and said Rooney's children were all in better financial situations than the actor himself, so Mark was given everything he had left.
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