Sliding Doors – Jim Morrisons Will

Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, died at the young age of 27 with a simple two-page will. Although his financial assets were not substantial at the time of his death, Morrison owned a 25 percent interest in The Doors. His will left his entire estate to his girlfriend, Pamela Courson, or, if she did not survive him, in equal shares to his brother and sister. However, the will did not consider what would happen if the primary beneficiary subsequently died. Courson inherited Morrison’s estate, but she died without a will less than three years later, and her estate went to her parents. Morrison’s parents then contested the will, claiming that their son was not competent to make a will and that his common-law marriage to Courson was invalid. However, a probate court determined that Morrison and Courson had a valid common-law marriage, and the estate passed to Courson’s parents and Morrison’s parents in equal shares. To avoid this scenario, Morrison could have created a testamentary trust that would have allowed him to control the distribution of his assets even after his death. This would have ensured that his desired beneficiaries ultimately inherited his estate, rather than leaving it up to chance.