Five Black celebs who died without a will – and the legal battles that followed

Jimi Hendrix

Hendrix’s death is an example of how important wills are. He died in 1970 at age 27 and the legal battle for his holdings went on for more than thirty years among his siblings. His father was in charge till he died in 2002, leaving Janie, Jimi’s sister, in charge of the $80 million estate.

Janie still held rights to the estate after the Washington State Supreme Court gave her the mandate. The battle is still ongoing over the use of the famed guitarist’s image.

According to Rolling Stone, a settlement was finally reached before a scheduled July 2015 jury trial to determine how his brother’s business partner’s company, Hendrix Licensing, owed to the Jimi Hendrix estate in terms of damages for sales of unauthorized merchandise.