There WAS an earthly way of knowing which direction Gene Wilder’s estate plan was supposed to be going, because he took the time to have his documents properly drawn up prior to his death in 2016.
When it was announced that Wilder had died from complications relating to a three-year-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, there were questions as to whether there would be feuds over his estate. Wilder never had children, but had adopted his second wife’s daughter, Katherine Webb. However, the two had not had contact for some time. There were rumors that she came forward looking to make a claim on the estate, but that his documents were so well written that there was no claim to be made.
We don’t really know many details about what happened to his $20 million estate, but it’s probably safe to say it was distributed among family members. One person you probably didn’t think would make an appearance in this story is Elon Musk. In 2013 Wilder sold a Bel-Air home to Musk. In 2020, Musk decided to downsize, including selling off his California properties. He stipulated that whomever he sold the property to must preserve the property. This should be easy for Wilder’s nephew, Jordan Walker-Pearlman, who purchased the home.
In a case where typically there are numerous lawsuits over an estate, Wilder’s seemed to be air-tight. It’s a great example of how important it is to have a well-written estate plan.