The Peter Sellers Trap

Don’t let what happened to Peter Sellers’ estate happen to your estate.

Peter Sellers died in 1980 aged 54.

A recent article in the Daily Telegraph stated that a newly discovered legal document suggested that Peter Sellers and his estranged wife Lynne Frederick (who had only been married for 2 years), had entered into a “marital settlement agreement” in which Lynne Frederick was only to have received £370,000 plus their Los Angeles home but, because Peter Sellers died prior to the Decree Absolute being granted and because he hadn’t altered his Will, Lynne Frederick inherited his entire estate of £4.5 million.  Peter Sellers’ three children from previous marriages received only £750 each.

Lynne Frederick died in 1994 and her estate (which largely consisted of Peter Sellers’ estate), went to her daughter who was not born until 4 years after Peter Sellers’ death.

So to avoid your estate ending up in a similar ‘Trap’ don’t delay in making alterations to your Will should your circumstances have changed.