Chadwick Boseman Died Without A Will: Why You Need a Trust or Will NOW

Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman tragically died this summer at the age of 43 after fighting colon cancer. for several years He died “intestate,” — meaning he died without having a will. He is survived by his wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, who has filed to open a probate case in California to settle his estate. The information about Boseman’s estate is public because Boseman did not have a trust-based estate plan. Without a trust in place, private, sensitive and confidential information about everything someone owns and their family is public information and available to anyone.

Without a will, the intestate laws of California decide how his assets will be distributed, and who inherits from his estate. The probate process typically takes over 12 months, and on average costs about 8% of the value of his estate - money that is spent on lawyers, appraisers, bonds, and fees that won’t go to his family.