Liam Payne Didn’t Leave a Will: What Happens Now?

It was recently reported that Liam Payne, former member of One Direction, died without leaving a Will detailing what he wanted to happen to his £24.3 million estate.

What will happen to Liam Payne’s estate?

Liam had a minor son, Bear, and was unmarried but did have a girlfriend at the time of his death.

His estate, therefore, all passes to his son, Bear, under the Rules of Intestacy in England and Wales. Where someone dies without leaving a Will the law dictates who will inherit their estate. There is an order of entitlement with the spouse being the first entitled, but where there is no spouse (unmarried) but there are children, the children are entitled to the whole estate. This would have been the case if Liam was still with Bear’s Mother, Cheryl Cole, but remained unmarried. Unmarried partners are not included within the Rules of Intestacy.

Without a Will, there is also no control over who administers the estate or holds funds for minors. So the questions remains:

Would he have chosen the administrators who have been appointed by the Court to hold the funds for Bear?

Would he have put a higher age for Bear to inherit the vast wealth he has left?

With a will, you can include trusts and contingent ages based on when beneficiaries inherit. With that, you can leave a Letter of Wishes, which, whilst not being legally binding, gives the Trustees an indication of what your wishes are for the beneficiary to use the money.

You can also leave specific gifts of items or money to people, which are not provided for without a Will.

Liam Payne is not the first celebrity to be reported to have died without leaving a Will, Prince and Amy Winehouse being others recently reported to have not had a Will when they died, leaving multi-million-pound estates.

Conclusion

It’s always sad to hear about someone passing away, especially when it leads to complications like this. The situation with Liam Payne highlights the importance of having a Will, especially when there are significant assets and young children involved.

Without a Will, the Rules of Intestacy dictate how the estate is distributed, which might not align with the deceased’s wishes. In Liam’s case, his entire estate will go to his son, Bear, but there are many questions about how the funds will be managed and who will be responsible for them.

Creating a Will allows you to:

It’s a way to ensure your wishes are respected and to provide clarity and security for your loved ones. Have you thought about making a Will yourself? It can be a crucial step in planning for the future.