Amy Winehouse's Fortune: Who Gets It Now?
Singer is worth an estimated $15 million to $30 million. No word yet on will.
LONDON, July 25, 2011 — -- Candles, heartfelt notes and even bottles of wine and liquor lie outside the home where Amy Winehouse lived. As crowds of fans pay their tribute to a British music sensation gone too soon, the death of the 27-year-old continues to perplex those closest to her.
"We're devastated, and I'm speechless," said Mitch Winehouse, Amy's father, to the group of media and fans that had gathered outside the house Monday morning. "Amy was about one thing, and that was love. Her whole life was devoted to her family and friends, and to you guys as well."
As questions abound regarding the cause of the troubled singer's death, there is also a big question about where Winehouse's vast fortune will go. Winehouse was estimated to be worth between $15 million to $30 million, and many are wondering whether she left anything to her ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, or if anything is owed to him.
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The tumultuous relationship between Winehouse and Fielder-Civil was made known through the singer's lyrics, their public displays of affection and their frequent drug use (reports claim that Fielder-Civil and Winehouse "enabled" each other). The "Rehab" singer once reportedly carved the words "I love Blake" onto her stomach using a shard of glass.
Though the two were legally married in 2007, their 2009 divorce could be the reason Blake may not get anything at all. Solicitor Julius Brookman, a partner at U.K. firm Brookman Solicitors, said that according to U.K. law, even if Winehouse left something to her husband in a will, it would be rendered null and void after a divorce. "So unless the will indicates that Blake Fielder-Civil was to inherit anything despite the divorce, he gets nothing," Brookman wrote in an email to ABCNews.com.
However, if Winehouse supported Blake while she was alive, he could possibly get something. Under the Inheritance Provisions for Dependents Act, courts can make orders to continue support to someone who depended on a deceased person.
If the singer's estate doesn't go to Fielder-Civil, it is still unclear who it will go to. Brookman said it all depends on her will, and whether she even had one in the first place. Although most 27 year-olds probably don't have final wills, Bookman said, with Winehouse's amount of wealth, it is likely she had one. In the event Winehouse did not, her wealth, under British law, would be divided among family members.
Chris Goodman, part of Winehouse's management team, said in an email today that he could not comment on the singer's will, nor about rumors that Winehouse and Fielder-Civil exchanged sexual text messages in the weeks leading up to her death. The management team released a statement that said, "We are trying to come to terms with the death of a dear friend and colleague, the most amazing artist and talent."
Results of the post-mortem examination, or autopsy, are expected Tuesday.