Movies vs. Real Life Inheritances – Which Are Weirder?
Ever heard the term weirder than fiction? Well funnily enough that appears to be a case when you compare the movie versions of wills and inheritances to the real life cases. From homeless brothers being left a fortune, to a young man being left an island and buried treasure, there is a lot of strange occurrences that have taken place that makes you want to read articles and news stories rather than watch the silver screen.
An exceptionally weird case is that of ‘the richest woman in Asia’ leaving her entire inheritance to a Feng Shui master in return for eternal life. The fact that the so called master shouldn’t need the money considering she shouldn’t have died only leaves people scratching their heads about this bizarre turn of events. A definite case of real life being a lot weirder than anything Hollywood could come up with.
Another head scratcher, although not for the same reason, is the case of a teenager who was left a desert island, on which buried treasure is reportedly hidden (talk about lucky!). The comforting aspect of this story is the fact that the inheritor actually knew the person whom left all their money. Josh inherited his grandfather’s estate, which by all accounts sounds rather normal. However, it gets weird when you realise that Josh received a 32 acre island in the will, as well as cryptic messages about antique jewels and gems also being left to the teen, if he can find the ‘thermos’ that is. Talk about a treasure hunt with a twist. Not quite as sinister as 13 Ghosts, it certainly is a weird and wonderful way to inherit a family member’s estate, at least Josh won’t have to deal with ghosts.
In addition to these two outlandish stories, you also have the case of the ‘Great Stork Derby’, a term that was coined after a successful law investor decided to continue his love for pranks and unusual requests from beyond the grave. Using his will, he ensured that a rather strange request could be made upon his death – ten years after his death, his estate was to be converted into a money equivalent and given to the woman who had the most children within that time period. An ‘endorsement’ for baby making like no other it would seem. Yet another ‘it can’t be true’ story that actually is.
It would seem that, while the movies has certainly played its part in devising unusual plots that involve unlikely inheritances, reality is always a step ahead, throwing out stories that sound so weird that they have to be true. Without a doubt, it would certainly seem like real life inheritances have stumped the movies to the final post. We contacted a leading Legal firm to see what they had to say, Emma Myers from Saga.co.uk said “Whilst you can leave anything you want, to whoever you want, in your Will, you must ensure that the item is clearly described and the recipient is clearly identifiable to avoid the gift failing for uncertainty.”
