Sonny Bono was famous for the song he sang with Cher, his second wife – I Got You Babe. However, he also found success as a songwriter, television star, restaurateur, and politician. When discussing his financial legacy, The Beat Goes On is a more accurate musical reference. Mr. Bono committed a serious celebrity estate planning mistake, leaving the world to wonder who inherited Sonny Bono’s money.
A Brief Overview of Sonny Bono's Life
There is one inescapable event in every life: Death
Rarely does that moment arrive with advanced warning. For famed singer, songwriter, actor, and politician Sonny Bono, it came on Heavenly Mountain, South Lake Tahoe, CA, on January 5, 1998. A US Congressman at the time of his death, Bono was 62 years old.
Married to his fourth wife, Bono had four children, one each by two of his former wives and two by Mary, his widow. Over the last ten years of his life, Bono rose from mayor of Palm Springs to become the United States Representative of California’s 44th congressional district, a post he held for four years, cut short by his death.
Bono’s death without a will or named executor resulted in a prolonged, 10-year probate process that drained 20+% of the estate settlement value. Ongoing legal battles were finally resolved 26 years after Sonny Bono’s tragic, sudden demise.
While shocking, even frightening, this series of events is all too common. Do not endanger the lives and livelihood of the most important people in your life. Protect their future now by following the guidance of a skilled, experienced estate planning attorney.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Salvatore “Sonny” Bono and his family moved to California when Sonny was a young child.
Mr. Bono became a songwriter, then moved on to other areas of the entertainment industry. He and Cher co-hosted several popular television shows, although they divorced in the early 1970s. Mr. Bono next attempted to open a restaurant. Frustrated with local government, he decided to make a difference in the community. After serving as the Mayor of Palm Springs, he was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives.
Mr. Bono sponsored a bill in Congress – the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1988. Congress passed the bill several months after Bono died from a skiing accident.
At the time of his death, he left behind a wife, Mary, and four children. His estate was worth an estimated $2 million, yet he had done no estate planning. His failure to even write a simple Will greatly complicated the situation.
Who Inherited Sonny Bono’s Money? That Question Remains Unanswered
Since there was no Will, no one was authorized to become the executor of the estate. Mary Bono had to petition to be appointed executor. This increased the estate’s legal costs and likely extended the length of the probate proceeding. Further complications included the appearance of a potential heir (a man named Sean Machu sued, claiming to be Sonny Bono’s “love child”; he later dropped the lawsuit) and disputes among family members. Twenty-five years after Mr. Bono’s accidental death, estate-related court battles continue.
A comprehensive estate plan probably would have included a Will, a durable power of attorney, an advance directive, and possibly a trust or two. Mr. Bono’s Will would have provided an orderly way to distribute his estate. He might have set up trusts to provide for his three children. Trusts would have provided some privacy to his loved ones.
No Matter Who You Are, Estate Planning Makes a Difference
It is somewhat unsettling to think about death. However, a little discomfort now could help your family after you’re gone. Do not let “Who inherited Sonny Bono’s money is a question on the lips of many?” become the question haunting your heirs.
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