The Strange Story of Jack Kerouac's Estate

Late DJ's mother asks to be named as sole heir

(NEWSER) - DJ AM died without leaving a will or any instructions on what should be done with his fortune, E! Online reports. The late DJ's mother has asked a court to name her as his sole heir, since he had no spouse or children. The 36-year-old DJ died with assets of some $3.9 million and debts of $2.9 million for a net worth of roughly $1 million, according to court documents. More»

(NEWSER) - Meryl Gordon has a plum seat at the so-called Brooke Astor trial, in which her son, Anthony Marshall, stands accused of thievery. Complete with the crème de la crème of New York society recounting terrible things and scathing Astorisms, Gordon writes in Vanity Fair, it’s a “story about money that everyone could understand, that did not involve credit-default swaps or derivatives: a son accused of stealing from his mother.” And the press is all over it. More»

Money goes to kids, CBS staff; daughter: 'it was about my mother'

(NEWSER) - Walter Cronkite left nada in his will for his opera star girlfriend, reports the New York Post. The 2005 document, written before he and singer Joanna Simon became attached at the hip, divides Cronkite's estate among his three kids and his CBS staff. The newsman’s daughter says Cronkite never planned to include Simon in the document. More»

Charlene Marshall berated 101-year-old in hospital: witness

(NEWSER) - Brooke Astor’s daughter-in-law berated the 101-year-old socialite for breaking her hip in 2003, the New York Post reports. “We had to cancel our trip to London all because of you!” Charlene Marshall groused to the hospitalized Astor, according to testimony from housekeeper Angela Moore. Anthony Marshall is accused of changing his mother’s will to steal millions earmarked for charity. More»

Author Auchincloss told her son's lawyer she didn't recognize him

(NEWSER) - A longtime friend of philanthropist Brooke Astor testified yesterday that her faculties were so deteriorated the last time he saw her that she did not recognize him, the New York Daily News reports. Author Louis Auchincloss said the encounter took place 2 years before Astor allegedly changed her will, awarding $60 million earmarked for charities to her son, Anthony Marshall—who’s currently on trial for fraud. More»