Celebrity Estate Lessons – Jerry Lee Lewis

I think we all know that sometimes the best laid plans don’t turn out the way we want. This is something the estate of Jerry Lee Lewis discovered once he passed in 2022.

It’s probably safe to say that one of Lewis’ biggest legacies was his continued fighting with the IRS. At least twice in his life, the IRS seized his property to cover his debt and Lewis declared bankruptcy in 1988, mostly relating to the money he owed in taxes. Safe from these seizures was his ranch in Mississippi, which he put in a trust under the name of his manager and close friend, Cecil Harrelson, when it was purchased in the 1970s. This also kept it out of his many divorce settlements. Cecil reportedly was against the idea, but more recently Cecil’s daughter, who also happens to be Lewis’ niece has stated that it was payment to her father in lieu of wages. One third of the property also ended up in the hands of Barnes, Jones, & Warren law firm as payment for settling a legal matter.

Even though the ranch was already in the trust, Lewis still stated in his Will that it should go to his children. Cecil passed in 2013 following a long illness. Lewis didn’t seem to think this would be a problem and so did nothing about updating his Will or having Harrelson update the Trust before he passed.

As you may have guessed, it did turn out to be a problem. With the estate in a Trust in someone else’s name, Lewis legally had no claim to it and so the request in his Will was essentially null and void. Once he passed, the property was put up for sale and his son, who was living there at the time, was evicted from the property. While he moved out in March, there is no word yet on the house’s being put up for sale.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when writing their estate plan is thinking they’re more clever than they are. There are ways to protect your property from the IRS, but it’s best to contact an expert, like us, to make sure everything is done properly to avoid mishaps down the line. So, give us a call, and schedule a consultation today.